Run down districts in Brooklyn are the backdrop for The Gang, a series in which Parisian photographer Christian Geisselmann sets the stage for rebellious and striking female characters. Using faded colours and grainy landscape format, the photographer achieves a movie look inspired by the imagery of Bruce Davidson.

S Magazine: There are two things you're passionate about: music and photography. How do they relate to each other?
Christian Geisselmann: I started playing around with my father's cameras and super-8 cameras when I was a child, because I just felt drawn to them. When I was 15 and discovered Peter Lindbergh's pictures, that was it – I immediately realized that I wanted to be a photographer, and so I taught myself photography over the years.

I also started my first band when I was 15, so I virtually grew into music and photography at rthe same time. During a photo shoot, music always set the background mood, and when I write lyrics for songs, there are always images in my mind that point me in a certain direction.

You moved from southern Germany to Paris – was that because of photography?
Yes, I moved to Paris from a small village called Dietenheim, with stopovers in Munich and Australia. At the time I was very drawn to and inspired by France and, in particular, Paris. In addition, there was the fact in France, contrary to what was normal in Germany at the time, I was able to get an internship and assistant position based exclusively on my photographs, despite being an autodidact without a diploma from a photography school.

You flew to New York for the S Magazine, where you produced The Gang series. What's the idea behind it and why New York?
For quite some time now, New York has become the city where I feel best: it's dynamic, inspiring, has strong character, is always in movement and to such a degree that there is always something to do. You yourself have to set the limits, though there's always the choice to go further, which is probably what makes it so interesting. Every thing's possible! So the idea for The Gang was on hand: three characterful women who set their own limits in the setting of New York/Brooklyn, of the kind we know about from Bruce Davidson's sixties reportages.

All the models you've chosen have particular characteristics, flaws to a certain degree. What facial features were your choices based on? Is that typical for your work?
You can't call them flaws; they all have special features which can lead to an outer uniqueness  – different is beautiful –, but that is, above all, defined by their characters. My photo shoots always unfold like a kind of stage play. The person in front of the camera and I push each other, while also interplaying with the music. You could say that the specific selection at the casting is a typical feature of my work.

How would you describe the look of your pictures?
Honest, direct, expressive and powerful. The look is also affected by the grain I use, as well as the interplay of background and models; and their attitudes, probably a sort of modern vintage, is also part of the look.

Your use of colour and light for The Gang is very restrained. You often don't place the sharpness on the model but on the background. What's behind that idea?
It's all about the overall atmosphere. I always see the whole series like a film in front of me, and I try to convey this feeling to the pictures. You could see it as a film tracking that begins with a sharp background, which gradually fades away till the sharpness is eventually on the person. In such cases, I find it very attractive to capture in-between moments in a photo, to create more tension. Of course, it's not in every picture, but I use it from time to time to create a better rhythm for the whole photo series. I love to photograph in black and white, though there are also occasions when a touch of faded colour adds a certain vintage look to a picture series, which in turn adds something to the rhythm. I consider daylight the best kind of light: you can do anything with it and in New York it's simply fantastic.

For the S Magazine series you exclusively use landscape format. What association did you hope to achieve with this?
The choice of landscape format is evident, because the series is telling a story, which could just as well have been filmed. Each picture could be a movie out-take. I prefer to photograph in landscape format because that's the best way to include the surroundings, whether it's the architecture – which I'm very passionate about –, a landscape, or a simple, blank surface beside the main motif – the person –, that allows the photo to breathe.

You photographed The Gang on location on the streets. How did that work with medium format and the Leica S?
Wonderful! In the past, when I used to photograph with film, I almost exclusively used medium format cameras, so it's a feeling of nostalgia that comes back to me – of course, with newer and better technology. In the sense that I see things again as they really are, and my attention focusses on the essential again – the photography. In addition, I love big cameras! That's why the additional handgrip always has to be there as well.

You want to move to New York. What are your plans for the future?
Exactly, I'll be commuting back and forth, but I like that. My son is delighted with the idea of my base being in New York. As far as future plans are concerned, I've begun working on a book, for example, that will be very interesting. It's something completely different.