As a photographic artist from London, Hannah Debson grew up surrounded by galleries and fashion publications that sparked her interest in the beauty of the human form. Debson studied history where she became fascinated by the human journey and the emotions that underpin all human activity. She began to look at the use of culture to express and construct the human experience and became inspired by how beauty and fashion can be part of this.
Debson began working in editorial photography as a creative director of her university fashion show, and soon discovered she was fascinated with the people as much as the clothes. Debson later studied the history of art and renaissance portraiture at Oxford University, while developing her own portfolio of portrait images in the studio and darkroom.
Her work has been featured in publications such as Vogue Italia’s online platform PhotoVogue and TRLBLZR MAG, as well as showing in galleries such as Boomer Gallery, Manifold Global and PXP Contemporary.
Self-taught or art school?
Self-taught – plus whilst I was studying an amazing photographer kindly let me do a course every Thursday for a few months for free if I did the admin.
If you could own one piece of work what would it be?
I studied history of art so that is a really tough one! If I could really own anything I would reach high and look for Seurat’s Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Titian’s Venus Anadyomene, anything by David Hockney, a Yayoi Kusama giant pumpkin… if I had to pick one I think it might be Seurat’s, it was one of the first pieces of art I fell in love with when I started studying.
How would you describe your style?
I like strong colours, deep shadows, a full pictorial frame and a central focus point in my images. I think in many ways my images are quite traditional in their composition, but I like to work experimentally and have my final images be ‘off-kilter’. I am also heavily inspired by fashion and beauty imagery, so this comes into my style a lot too.
Can you tell us about your artistic process?
As soon as inspiration hits I need to draw a rough sketch in my notebook which I carry around with me. I then dive in a do some research so that I can formulate a concept a little more coherently, and map out which props and equipment I need. Then I work with models and makeup artists, most of whom I have known for years, on the shoot itself to create the image that works. I start off with my sketch as a guide but the magic always happens when things flow and I work organically with the team. The final image is almost always nothing like the original sketch! I normally need a little space from the image, before moving onto the final step which is editing, which can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 3 months.
Is narrative important in your work?
Although there are narrative elements in some pieces, ultimately I would say no. In some ways, I prefer the viewer to develop their own narrative for pieces and develop an individual relationship with each image, rather than me providing a narrative for them.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
Any of those mentioned above! I also truly go through phases with different artists as I discover new ones. At the moment I am fascinated by the post-photographic era and Daisuke Yokota’s Colour Photographs where he creates wildly colourful abstract imagery using darkroom manipulations. Wolfgang Tillman’s Abstract Pictures is along similar lines. I am interested in abstraction achieved through photography – it’s something I would love to do more of in the future. I also love Maisie Cousins emotive, colourful close-ups. In general, I am drawn to artists with a strong sense of colour and an innovative, experimental, unapologetic point of view.
What or who inspires your art
Inspiration honestly comes from all over the place – I love being inspired by other artists and discussions in the artistic community, through art history or in literature. Equally the colours of nature, different materials and textures and everyday items in the house can take on new life and spark ideas. The models themselves are also a huge source of inspiration during a shoot – photography can be such a collaborative art form and I absolutely love that, I love drawing inspiration from other people and building those relationships into the final piece itself.
Where is your studio and what is it like?
My studio doubles as my small flat in Islington – when I am shooting the furniture gets moved and the equipment comes out, half my exercise is doing this because it happens so often! I think the studio itself is almost part of the journey of an artwork, as I have to reconstruct it each time with whatever lighting, backdrop, props that I might need for that day. Otherwise, it’s just my sketchbook, laptop and the kitchen table equipped with dark chocolate and a glass of water.
Do you have any studio rituals?
It’s not a deliberate ritual, but I have noticed that at the start of a shoot I take off the lens cap and place it randomly in the studio. I always forget where it is and I end up finding it at the end of the shoot whilst cleaning up and its always quite a nice ending of that particular shooting process.
What are you working on currently?
I am working on an ongoing series of portraits, taking inspiration from the duality of emotions that humans feel at different moments in life. I am also working on a collection of images inspired by the materiality of ink, pushing me to experiment more with texture and colour. I also am working on a series of nude studies exploring ideas of heritage and nationality. Lots of projects are long term, so images will still be released individually.
Where can we buy your art?
From my website hannahdebson.com! Or reach out to me on Instagram @hannahdebson
