Liselotte Schuppers

Liselotte Schuppers (Nijmegen, 1977) is a freelance photographer. She specializes in fashion photography and staged photography. She also creates personal work. In her personal work, she plays with established conventions. “There’s always a subtle irony in my personal work—work with a wink. How can I throw people off balance? I want them to be surprised. My passion for fashion and styling is also always present in my work,” says Liselotte. Liselotte graduated from the AKI in Enschede in 2001 and, a year later, received a startup grant from the Fund for the Visual Arts, Design, and Architecture, which enabled her to get her independent projects off the ground. During her studies, she discovered that documentary photography wasn’t her forte and that she was better suited to studio work. Through staging, she was able to achieve the results she envisioned. For this reason, Liselotte focused on editorial work for fashion magazines. During a masterclass with Erwin Olaf, she discovered how she could apply this approach to her personal work as well.

Liselotte draws much of her inspiration from melodramatic films and, for example, costume dramas such as *Amadeus*, *Dangerous Liaisons*, or *Portrait of a Lady*. She evokes the atmosphere of those films using props and accessories she makes herself. “I don’t want to hand that over to anyone else, because that’s how a photo becomes entirely my own creation. My intention isn’t to photograph people as they are, but simply to tell a story. The setting and accessories are essential to that. I can spend the whole day tinkering, and I love browsing markets and stores to see what’s new and how I can use it. At the Chinese store, I buy synthetic hair to make wigs, and if they don’t have enough volume, I stuff toilet paper rolls underneath. Sometimes I almost feel like a stylist.” Liselotte tries to evoke irony through contrasts, while making sure the photo doesn’t become too bland, because the image must continue to stimulate in a positive way.