Spirit & Flesh: What is photography for you?

Hadley Hudson: Expression and a way to see the world. Although I am shooting portraits, all of the images are, at the end of the day, images of myself.

S&F: Who are some of your favorite photographers?

HH: My heart is in documentary. The first photographers that resonated with me were Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, Nan Goldin, and Lee Miller. I was also floored by Larry Clark in his early work. I dreamed about being in The Factory when I was a teenager, so pop art is definitely there somewhere.

S&F: What was your breakthrough?

HH: One of my best friends from high school was the photo editor of Spin in 2003. I was living in Berlin and she asked if I would shoot [singer-songwriter, performance artist] Peaches. I don’t think I was even doing photography at the time, but I said “yes” and the interaction lit me on fire creatively. She is a big inspiration: totally fearless as a performer and fascinating to photograph. Her label loved the photos and I went on to shoot her several times for album covers, press. Through her I met and shot Gonzales and Chicks on Speed and things took off from there.

S&F: You take hundreds of photographs in a shoot. What is the image selection process?

HH: The image selection is quite fast. I make up my mind in about two seconds. It is absolutely emotional. Either I feel something when I look at it or I don’t.

S&F: What was your inspiration for the “Vanity”?

HH: Raquel is a free spirit and incredible photographer in her own right. She inspires me every time we shoot. I wanted to shoot her in front of a wall of her own images, ones that I have taken and some of her self-portraits. I wanted her to bask in her own gorgeousness!

S&F: Do you believe vanity is a sin?

HH: Everyone has a certain degree of vanity. It becomes problematic when one stops seeing others and is only concerned with oneself.

Quote:
Although I am shooting portraits, all of the images are, at the end of the day, images of myself.