In Christian Geisselmann’s latest story, ‘Cross Walk’, a mysterious girl roams the streets and sidewalks of Greenpoint, which he has captured in a muted, sombre colour palette behind a light New York haze. Her appearance is tomboyish, a little Gothic, and sometimes hidden behind glasses or under a large, floppy hat. She’s true to herself, and nobody else.
Tell us about this story.
The story is called Cross Walk. It’s about a strong woman wandering around, lost in her own mind, completely in her thoughts and ideas, her own world, giving the viewer a feeling of being untouchable only through being herself.
Cross Walk defines the small line between being you and the dictation of what you should be in the public’s point of view.
There’s something very mysterious about this girl. How would you describe her character?
She’s strong but fragile at the same time. Self-confident, with a strong character, living in her own world. Her difference, which she doesn’t hide, is at the same time her shield seeing that nowadays stereotypes are the norm and people are afraid to be themselves and live their individualism.
What was the underlying idea behind this shoot?
Not to be afraid of being different; the celebration of allowing yourself to live your life the way you like it. To not be one of the millions of the same selfies taken every day. We’ve all got a specific, unique character, our own taste, opinions and feelings, but they seem to be lost in a smog of social media showing us how to be, how to eat, how to have fun – the absolute loss of individualism and creativity.
Where in New York was this series shot?
We shot the story in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, for its industrial, vast and not too crowded environment. It adds a certain rawness, a rawness we’ve all got in ourselves, but which is mostly and unfortunately hidden out of a fear of being different and not fitting in.
What do you like about New York?
I take many clients there to do their photo shoots: I just love the atmosphere and light in New York. Actually, whatever the conditions there is just something magic about it.
How would you compare it to Paris where you’re based?
I would describe New York as dynamic, vibrant, full of energy, and with a strong will to move forward and create a melting pot of creative individuals from all over the world. Everything is possible. Paris right now is more the sleeping beauty, but it is about to change. Slowly but surely Paris is waking up again, and I’m very happy about that.
Who is you favourite photographer from New York?
I would say Bruce Davidson as a reportage photographer, if you ask specifically about New York. And more generally Peter Lindbergh, who was and still is creating magic with his portraits.
What was your experience of working with the Leica S on this shoot?
Shooting with the Leica S system always gives me a nostalgic feel in a way, as it reminds me of when I was still shooting with film in medium format. The system is a great combination of timeless sharp design, the best modern technologies, ease of handling and beautiful lenses.
What is your top tip for anyone shooting with the Leica S?
Always use the camera with the extra hand grip and shoot with manual focus; it’s a real pleasure with these lenses.
I’ve heard that you’re often inspired by music. Were there any songs that particularly inspired this story?
I think for this shoot in particular Fade Into You by Mazzy Star would fit pretty well.
This story has a sort of Wild West feel for me. Is there a particular vision of America that you want to evoke here?
No it’s all about the person, and if there is a Wild West feeling evoked for the viewer then the mission is accomplished, because it’s all about celebrating the right to and strength of individualism.
You’ve spoken about “realness” before. How do you make sure your photography stays real?
For the actual picture treatment, definitely by not retouching the pictures. And concerning the person I’m shooting, by creating a strong symbiosis between the person and myself, that develops into a kind of stage play in which one pushes the other further and further until we get to the real and raw feelings we want to bring out in a photograph.
Last time we spoke you had begun work on a book. Can you share anything more about that project?
The only thing I can tell you so far is, the organisation has started and the team is set and we’re shooting everything with the Leica S system. Shooting starts this September, most probably in New York and Berlin. The collaboration with Leica will be very close on this project.
