Bryce Anderson has emerged as a rising talent in the world of fashion photography, exploring powerful, beauty narratives within his imagery. His high glamour portraits have a coquettish spin, as Anderson has continuously built a portfolio that includes shoots from The Perfect Magazine, Allure, and Elle. “That pursuit of beauty is so exciting to me. It doesn’t always mean changing someone to not look like themselves,” Anderson explains. After an initial invitation to shoot by a close collaborator, the former model made his transition into the realm of photography almost fortuitously, yet his creative roots go back much farther to childhood. Stepping away from the other side of the lens, Anderson had to navigate the doubts of being pigeonholed as just a model while grappling with the exhilaration of stepping into an arena as fascinating as it is intimidating. Models.com spoke to the visual creative on his beginnings, major milestones, and how essential fostering connections was to his fashion imagery.
Can you tell us about your transition from modeling to photography and what inspired you to pursue a career behind the camera?
I was always taking pictures. It wasn’t until I had moved to New York one of my close collaborators Alexander Picon reached out to me and said let’s do a shoot. I said okay, who is the photographer? And he went, “No, I want you to shoot it.” We ran around the city with a bag of clothes and I just had this feeling come over me. He and a few others kept telling me that this is what I needed to do, but I just thought, oh, I can’t do that. I’d always loved photography, but it terrified me. I had a small job at the time to support myself and I called in that same day and quit- I thank fear for that. I still wake up sometimes and think, how am I doing this?
How early did you begin playing with the medium?
In the sixth or seventh grade, I used to have my friends come over after school, we’d gather up all their clothes and I’d style them, do their hair and makeup, and take their picture. I was always curating everyone. My girlfriends found it annoying- and especially my mother. I’d go no, do your makeup like this, or let’s rearrange your room, don’t wear that. I always wanted to change everything around me and I think the camera was a way to do that with some sort of warrant.
Did you ever feel pigeonholed as a model before branching out into your photography career, or was it a natural evolution?
I try not to think about this much, as it can be superstitious. As people, we should know we are capable of anything. I think when I started there were many moments of, isn’t he a model? But you can’t mind those too much.
Looking back at some of the shoots that you’ve done, are there any favorite moments that stand out in your career?
My expectations are just so high sometimes it’s hard for me to go there. I don’t like to single out moments as I’m always trying to think forward and you never want to feel as though you’ve ‘peaked’ in some way. I will say my favorite moments looking back are being with my team. We have terrible fun on set and I never laugh harder. I’m grateful to work with so many talented people as it’s heaven.
Major milestones that you were like, this took me to the next level?
Those moments where we’ll get someone really great to shoot, or I’ll get the team that I want and those are always memorable. I love hair and makeup artists and getting to work with some of the people I have always gets me excited. I don’t enjoy looking back at images, even though that’s incredibly hard now with social media. A thing when you’re young that’s exhausting is you are constantly trying to improve and your last shoot feels like a failure. You can’t remove it from your book anymore as it’s all over the internet! I never lose the love for the people in the photographs. I just always see what I did wrong.
Knowing what you know about the other side of the camera, how do you collaborate with models and other creatives on set to bring your vision to life?
Sometimes I feel as though it’s a bit of a burden to understand the other side beyond the camera. There are moments where I’m working out a shot and in my head I’m like, “God, this girl must be so over me!” I’m very caring of the models; I love them. I know those moments where you feel alone or uncomfortable and I always want to involve them and make them feel good, some shoots you don’t always have that privilege as there can be days where you have to work diligently and are rushed. I find myself often being very conscious of people’s time. It’s just not like it once was where everyone is on this shoot for three days; we arrive at eight and have until sunset to get everything we need. It can often feel like the connections don’t foster quickly enough. I try to connect with people quickly and plan out the best way to get that photograph; photography is a bit manipulative and sneaky. There are times where I like to really involve people in what we are doing and get them excited, and there are others where I don’t say anything and try to surprise it out of them. Once they are made-up and dressed the models sometimes understand the persona without me even saying anything and that can be very stimulating. It is always important to communicate of course, but I do feel the responsibility of the photographer is similar to that of a maestro – to know who’s playing what note and not changing their ways, but choosing the best way to amplify it.
When it comes to finding community, how did you foster connections when you were first coming up in the industry?
I just tried to be genuine and kind because it’s not too common in such a fickle environment and it does eventually penetrate people’s walls. I am very lucky to have crossed paths with those I have so far. I feel that I am nothing without my team. I learned very quickly that teamwork is an instrumental part of fashion imagery.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a rising creative, and how have you overcome them?
I always try to push myself to get what I want and not just allow the pressure of the situation make me accept less than what I set out to do because of time constraints, budget, and so on. I go as far as I can. It’s not that I don’t listen to others ideas, often it will be someone else’s crazy idea that I go, let’s do that! It can be easier to do what is asked of you or accept the bare minimum to complete something. Having the confidence as a young artist to say, ‘No- we need to do this’, can be hard, but when you get that image there is nothing better. I always want everyone to be happy as well – it’s a difficult balance.
Toma Chan for Fanci SS 23 | Courtesy of Elite World Group
Do you have any muses? Or someone you constantly look to as far as inspiration or somebody you stick to?
Beauty, I suppose. That pursuit of beauty is so exciting to me. It doesn’t always mean changing someone to not look like themselves. I just want to see the best in people. I really don’t think about it that much. Of course I’m completely inspired by all the models I work with- I love a great smile, or the way someone walks in. I think it just ends up being that everything you consume visually and all the people you fall in love with become the images.
What’s your favorite part of the process?
I like all of it. Maybe not so much the part where you leave the studio and things get cut or changed, but I love the weeks leading up and I love the day of. Once in a while, I’ll reach a point where an image happens and it’s almost a subconscious thought coming forward. I won’t be really thinking about it. The image sort of makes itself and everything just starts working.
What has to be the bottom line for projects that you take on?
I want to be happy with what we got. On commercial jobs, I have to remember that we are selling something, and I actually enjoy this part of the work. It excites me to work out how to present commerce. Sometimes people want a carbon copy or don’t know what they want, but I find it a responsibility to myself and the team at least try to get something fresh. It’s hard for me to not do a personal image. Fellini used to always have this problem that I think about often, producers reaching out to him and saying, “I want a Fellini film!”, and then trying to control all of his ideas, but to get that film they originally wanted, it had to be the same conditions in which it was made. I’m certainly not comparing my situation to that, but I find it a great anecdote for the balance of art and commerce for everyone in the industry.
What advice would you give to young creatives wanting to connect with mentors already in the business?
I have mentors that inspire me very much and are honest with me – people who say no that’s bad and that’s good. You need that a bit I think. For young photographers, it’s smart to try and find people who are interested in your work and want the best for it. Make sure you are working with people that understand it, sometimes even more than you do. I have moments where we do a set of images, and someone will go oh it’s about this, and I think huh? But they are right. Stylists are important for this as you work so closely with them on each shoot; they are the confidante and art director for you to lean on.
What do you wish you had known when you first started?
I have no idea! I’m so young and still feel I know absolutely nothing. You know I don’t find it helpful to look back too much. I’m sure I have novels more to know. If there is something I wish I knew then, I simply try to apply it to the now. Mistakes drive me crazy, but we need them more than anything. I want to have more humility about it all and that’s my learning curve. I’ve had moments where I tried to control things too much, or be too serious, and that wasn’t the best idea. I’m trying to let it happen more freely now.
