February 11, 2010

Justin Hollar Shoots Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl for NYLON

Justin Hollar set up his studio to capture some simple portraits of  Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl and ended up with a whole photo-story. The rock star progeny and his band-mate/girlfriend make up a psych-pop music group called The Ghost of a Saber Toothed Tiger. The photo shoots appears in this month’s February issue of Nylon magazine.

What inspired you to take on the photo shoot for Nylon?
I initially took the job because John Lennon is my favorite musician of all time. So, I was a bit star struck in that sense, and was just curious on a personal level to see what kind of a person Sean had grown up to be. I can’t even begin to imagine growing up with that family history on your shoulders. I mean it’s impossible to talk about him without referencing his parents. There’s just no escaping it. And for him to take on music as a career…? That is pretty ballsy and extremely admirable. But he’s totally pulled it off and managed to come into his own. At the end of the day, I was completely impressed with how unaffected he really was by it all- Super nice and interesting guy.

What was it like working with Charlotte, who is also a model?
Charlotte is Charlotte. She’s amazing. She’s totally one of those people that is meant to be in the spotlight in some manner. I could take photos of her all day and she would look amazing in every one.

How did they interact with one another on the shoot?
You can really see how she’s his muse. She plays off of him really well and it makes for a really interesting contrast between their two personalities. He’s pretty mellow and she’s pretty vibrant. So when it’s necessary, he pulls her persona down, or she’ll pull his up. They’re a great match.

What kind of music did you play during the shoot?
I usually just put on one of my many extremely over thought out and obsessive compulsive playlists and hit shuffle. But my iPod does tend to pick its own favorites at times, and I must admit I was a bit worried it was going to just start playing a bunch of The Beatles songs in a row, and then Sean would be all “Really? Really? That’s what you’re going to play?” But luckily my iPod behaved.

Have you shot for Nylon before?
Yeah I’ve been shooting for them off and on for quite a few years. They were actually one of the first publications I started shooting for back when I started, picking up the random actor or musician portrait, or some fashion, just to help fill out my portfolio. I have some smaller fashion stuff in the next issue as well that I’m really happy with.

Why did you choose to shoot in color as well as black and white?
Well, initially I wanted it to be all in color, but then there were a few looks where the photos began looking like an old shot from the 70’s or something. Felt super classic and [it] just worked better that way.

You’ve also shot actors, fashion designers, and other musicians, do you ever find yourself getting starstruck?
There were a couple points throughout the day, in between shots, where we’d be talking, and someone was saying where they were from and how their nationality played into them as a person, and Sean says something about how his mom is Japanese and his dad is British, and I caught myself thinking “…oh wait, he’s talking about Yoko Ono and John Lennon!”

Well, I’m glad your photo-shoot went smoothly! I’ll be sure to check out this month’s Nylon magazine (it even comes with a free Diesel t-shirt). Thanks for your time Justin.

-Helen Shih

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Links:
Justin Hollar
Nylon Magazine
The Ghost of a Saber Toothed Tiger
(Playing Friday, February 19th at Union Pool in Brooklyn)

Additional Credits:
Stylist: Turner & Erica Michelle
Hair & Makeup: Belinda Zollo