Ilaria Sponda: How did you start your career in fashion photography?

Linus Morales: I’ve always had a great interest in photography. It all started from an early age when taking portraits of my friends skateboarding and painting graffiti. After two years of studying photography, I took up some opportunities as an assistant photographer and moved from Sweden, where I’m originally from, to London. I shot some personal projects and started to take portraits of up-and-coming musicians there. I noticed that all the artist had a very particular style connected to their music and I started to become more and more interested in shooting fashion. This fascination evolved into an exhibition at the Strand Gallery in London supported by Moschino.

IS: You say you’re now based between Sweden and Paris. What was your first impression of the French capital? How did it impact your style?

LM: I think it was the mix of people. I get very inspired by seeing people in the streets and how they dress and move. In Sweden, people have very similar styles and dress a little bit the same. I feel that people in Paris are much more creative with their clothes as they experiment more and are more brave. I think that has had an impact on my style to try and step out of the box a bit more.

IS: What are the fashion stories you’ve enjoyed most working on?

LM: I usually really like to work on editorials that have a strong concept, and I love to shoot on-site in diverse and exciting locations. I like that there is always the chance of something unexpected that could happen.

IS: If you had to take up a new project, what would that be? Better said, what’s your dream situation to be photographing?

LM: Print is not dead! I love prints and books and it’s a dream to release a book and have an exhibition. At the moment I’m working on my first book together with my girlfriend. It’s called E for Effort and is a project showcasing quickly repaired cars on the street in Paris.

IS: How do you see collaboration in the fashion editorials world?

LM: To me, you must have a good team to work with, thus people who understand your vision and can help to push you in the right direction. I also think it’s important that you have fun during a shoot, there to many serious things in the world to worry about and I don’t think fashion should be one. Indeed, I think fashion is supposed to make you feel good and give you nice and good energy.

IS: Which are your favourite shooting locations in Paris?

LM: Oh tricky question. I’m not the biggest fan of letting the location take too much space in an image. I think it’s very important to be at the right location to get the right vibe and feel of the shoot but I’m not usually showing too much of the place even though I enjoy shooting on-site in cool locations as said. The location just serves as a background and I focus more on the model or the emotion.

Linus Morales is a fashion and beauty photographer based between Paris and Sweden. He’s collaborated with Prada, Kenzo, and Acne Studios among many other brands, and has contributed to magazines such as Séfr, Numéro, L’officiel, Kinfolk, Dansk, and Cereal. He’s represented by LomoMgmt.