Fine Art Photographer Tony Kelly

I first met Tony Kelly at a party by the pool at the Yacht Club de Monaco. He’d just unveiled two sun kissed fine art images he’d shot for Oceanco—one of the largest superyacht shipyards in the world. And I was there simply because, um…I’m really good at going to parties.

But, since I’ve been lucky enough to get to know Kelly—at parties, and on yachts in Monaco, and later when he was at home in Miami. And I’m always fascinated to learn what makes hyper-talented people tick. You’re all in for a treat. As you’ll see in this free-flowing interview, I learned that he creates way more than just an image. In fact, the images provide a glimpse into a world filled with bright light, stark beauty, edgy elegance and best of all, a world that provides an extravagant escape from the tyranny of the mundane.

And oh, by the way, he’s just about to open his own gallery in St Moritz.

But he started out as a war photographer. It’ll be better if I let him explain.

Tony Kelly

My formative years as a photographer were spent traveling the world covering news for the press. I spent time in Africa and Central Asia and covered various conflicts and world events including the war in Afghanistan. I remember an underlying desire to control and to structure the images I was shooting more: i.e. to create my own scenes more like a movie director. I was always looking for that Hollywood cinematic moment. Eventually I left my job at the newspaper and embarked on a bumpy road with the goal of becoming a fashion photographer. People thought I was a crazy to leave what was a very good job back in the day. But I was very sure about what I wanted to do. I was clear about my vision and goals and set off 100 percent committed and motivated to make this next step in my career a reality.

For two years I worked for free undertaking an apprenticeship with a celebrated fashion photographer who respected the world I had come from and gave me some stellar advice. ‘You don’t need to do what all the other fashion guys are doing with the mundane lighting and the cliché sets,’ he said. ‘You have a really unique background covering news and conflict around the world. Use your background to create dynamic scenes and cast fashion models and actors to create unique images that are true to who you are, develop your own signature style that only you can do.”

Sounds cool, right? Well, I knocked on all the fashion magazines’ doors. But they weren’t really opening. Some of them did. But what I was doing was quite strong. And within those fashion magazines, there’s always a lot of fear. Fear of pissing off the advertisers. And since I’ve always been an outsider, and always done things my way, I was never the go-to guy in the fashion world. That was Mario Testino, and Bruce Weber, and those guys.

But then the fashion world changed. The internet shifted the balance of creative power from the magazines to the advertisers. And the fashion houses were less reliant on magazines and photographers because they started creating their own content while the magazines had to play it safe and just stick to celebrities.”

Bill Springer

What’s wrong with celebrities?

TK

I’ve always wanted to be free.

I have no interest in shooting celebrities because the picture is completely controlled by publicists. It’s always about the celebrity. It’s not my picture. So, I said to myself, ‘F*&% this. It’s time to create my own publishing house. My own gallery. My own entire world where I can make the images I want to make. I want to be free.’

BS

Why is freedom so important?

TK

“Because I’ve always been an outsider. And I’ve always had a clear idea of what I want to do too. But freedom has a price. You’ve got to pay for it. Literally. I put in hundreds of thousands of dollars into my work—hiring models and booking locations etc.—so I can create whatever I want. It’s a bit scary but worth it. My ‘world’ is built on freedom, fantasy, and all the inspiration I take from the glamor and elegance of golden era Hollywood

It’s totally empowering when you have your vision, and you’ve paid the dollars to book the locations and the models and all that. I shoot for myself for my fine art collection that sell in my gallery. I have complete freedom in intoxicating, and I’ve created my own visual language. It’s exciting. And there’s pressure, and tension, and all of that comes out in my fine artwork and my commissions too. That’s kinda what I mean about creating a whole “world.”

Now I gotta be honest. My shoots are expensive. No expense is spared when I set my sights on a concept or image. When I’m shooting my fine art series I fund all of these productions entirely by myself and approach it the same way from a production perspective as I would for an international commercial campaign commissioned by a client. When clients hire me they get the entire design of the campaign, the entire conceptualization, and the entire development. I’m grateful to say that all of my clients trust me enough to say… ‘Go for it. Do whatever you want.’

BS

Is there a shoot or a particular set of images that illustrates that special type of freedom that you’re talking about?

TK

The Oceanco shoot! That happened quickly. When I take a commission, the energy has to be right. The relationship with the client is crucial. How many meetings and chats did we have before the actual shoot? When everything is in the right moment and the energy aligns, meetings are very short. I live by that. When you have good partnerships with people, especially when balancing art and commerce, meetings can be four minutes long. I’ve been shooting for clients for over a decade, and we often talk for just 20 seconds because we’re on the same page. There’s no need to hash out things with mood boards. The true joy for me is when I say what I want to do. And they say, “Go for it.”

This shoot was a true joy because a week later, I was on a flight to Sardinia. It went like clockwork from the second I arrived because everybody invested a hundred percent in the project. Everybody was on the same page. And when that energy is coupled with the experience and professionalism that comes with 334-foot-long super yacht and her amazing crew of 35 who were as committed to the project as I was, magic can happen.

BS

Had you even done a shoot like that before?

TK

I’ve shot yachts, planes, cars etc. But at this scale? No way. This was on another level. And let me just say, it was a real treat to be given the keys to a 334-foot-long superyacht! I’m used to having command of my crew. But having “command” of a superyacht and the full cooperation from the whole crew was on a whole other level.

Because I shoot in a very specific light, which is, I don’t want shadows. Shadows are moody and sad. I want clean sunshine. So, everybody had to be on the same page. And you’re moving a 334 yacht in increments of 6, 7, 15 degrees. It was brilliant to have that power, you know?

We shot six complicated conceptual images in one day. Normally, we’d do two or three, maybe four, but because the energy was right, we got six. The crew was phenomenal—it was like having my own team plus nearly 40 assistants.

I realized afterward when I flew back to LA for another shoot how anticlimactic it felt. It’s impossible to compare being able to set up these epic images of this gorgeous yacht with helicopters hovering and professional crews and gorgeous models conspiring with me to do this shoot. That’s hard to top and I think these images reflect that magic.

BS

Now what about the concept? Do you start with imagining a specific image or a “story?”

TK

The concept tells a story. Each image is a single cinematic moment in a movie or in your fantasy life. It’s something people can relate to and aspire to even though it jars them or triggers a response.

It all started with the woman. In my mind. In my “world.” She’s a rebel. She’s not interested in doing laps in the pool that’s on the boat. She’s interested in perfecting her back flip, you know? And not just any back flip. She’s perfecting her back flip off the bow of her superyacht under the watchful eye of the crew. And she doesn’t even care if they’re there or not, but they’re obliged. They’re duty bound to keep an eye on her, you know?

It’s a Bond moment and she is the hero. She’s more than a “Bond Girl.” She’s more like a female Bond. And the inspiration for the campaign came from diving. I’m very interested in diving as an Olympic sport. I went to the U.S. Open Diving championships that was here in Fort Lauderdale earlier this year.

That’s where Maria Smirnov caught my eye. She’s one of the best divers in the world. And she just had that extra X factor. I love pure talent, and she has it. So, when this commission became a reality, she was immediate my go-to. We got in touch with her very quickly and it all came together very quickly. As you can see, she’s something special. And now that the footage has had well over 15 million views on my Instagram alone, I think the image speaks for itself.

BS

This may sound cheesy but, as a writer, I feel my responsibility is to share the love. What do you think? What’s your goal with you work?

TK

My goal is to provoke a smile, a visceral reaction. It’s like hearing your favorite song in a bar—you don’t have a choice; you’re already tapping your foot and enjoying it. That’s what I aim to capture with my pictures.

Yeah, I think when people smile, that’s a form of love. I loved watching people when we unveiled the first two pieces. They were smiling, laughing, just enjoying themselves. That’s what it’s all about—taking people to another place.

It’s about giving people an escape, transporting them somewhere else. Winter may be coming, yet for me there’s no winter, even though I spend 2-3 months in Saint Moritz, where we have a gallery opening this season. But in my world, there’s always an eternal summer. I hope that my pictures give people a little feel and a little aspiration, and little joy with the summer.

BS

Now, one last question. What does success mean to you?

TK

I’ve always said that I want my commercial images and my fine art images to be the exact same, you know? That’s always been a goal. And you only arrive to that point by sticking to your guns and never compromising. And I’m arriving to that point that people call me, and they say, “We don’t just want an image. We want you.”

I’ve always wanted there’s to be no difference between my fine art and my commercial work. I’m grateful that there are clients that understand that and appreciate that and want that.

And that’s what makes my little “World” so special, I think.

BS

I couldn’t agree more.