Portrait by Anna Stokland of Kevin Tachman. All images from the series *Overexposed*.

This interview was originally featured in ISSUE 10 VOL. 2 — RITUAL.

Andrea Blanch: We view the runway show as a ritual, and you are part of all aspects, from behind the scenes, to execution, to the after party — how are you involved in the ritual?

Kevin Tachman: It was never my goal to be a photographer. I came into fashion and photography as an outsider. I came from being in the music industry for many years. It wasn’t something I pursued directly, I picked it up late and took it where it led me, which was fashion. I was even more of an outsider to that world, but I was definitely always a part of the pop culture world.

AB: What attracted you to runway?

KT: I have a pretty kinetic eye—I like action. I like movement. My first real job was taking pictures on tour with the band Scissor Sisters. My job was to capture the essence of each show and tell the story. “I feel like I was there.” That’s what my goal is, that’s what I want people to take-away from the photos. Storytelling even in the abstract is a big driving factor in how I shoot and edit something.

Kevin Tachman, from the series *Overexposed*.

AB: I was curious as to how you came to your photographic approach for some of the Spring / Summer 2014 collections. What is your technique when layering with different exposures?

KT: I was working with vogue.com, they were giving me my own photo features and an opportunity to cover the shows in a different way. And it’s sort of an adage in photography to “only take the photograph that you can take,” meaning, try to do something that’s unique to you, otherwise what is the point? So I wondered how I could make this different, yet still have it be exciting for me. Doing the same thing after a while you get a little tired of the subject matter, despite how good it is.

The multiple exposure idea came to me as a different way to show the hectic pace and visuals involved in a fashion show. I have never really shot film, so doing it in camera is the closest thing to film developing. Nothing is composed in the sense that I can take a face and put it here, or I’m going to put this light here. It makes me get excited when I get the shot even more so, because the results are a surprise.

AB: You never see this technique used to document fashion shows. What inspires you?

KT: It went from “These photos can only be in this style gallery” to “Oh, we can use these for anything; these are cool images.” It became something more accepted, and it worked. They can be a little too complicated for their own good to show clothes or details, but people know it is a part of the repertoire now. It sets me apart, as part of the challenge is just being a part of the backstage circus. Until people see what you do, you’re just one of the other guys. People won’t invite you until they know that your work is cool and different, and that you can make things look better than the standard approach.

AB: So do you primarily shoot in multiple exposures?

KT: The show only lasts up to seven or eight minutes, so you have to pick and choose what you’re able to do. Multiple exposures aren’t always the best way to capture a moment. When I know something is not going to look good I don’t bother. Other people have done multiple exposures, so… I try to make it a little more special if I can. There’s one shot that’s on my Instagram that I did for Prada Menswear, and it’s one I could never do again. I call them the “Moon Shots,” there’s no way the light or the angle will line up again the same way.

AB: Yes, I saw one that looked like a body was split in half and heads were on bottom with a white background. Who was that for?

KT: That was for Opening Ceremony. It was one of those shots where I was like, “Wow. That is so cool.” I just did Dior Homme and there were some elements from the floor and I put the men as they walked. I’ve been doing this a while and I still get excited about certain things, such as when I’m able to create something out of nothing and honor the elements. It’s not so randomly abstract that it separates from its original intent. It works within the concept of fashion and still can be something really cool.

AB: Being that you’ve developed this technique, but you also do backstage, do you prefer one to the other?

KT: Backstage is part of the story, but it becomes challenging to tell a different story without repeating yourself. It’s like shooting the same locker room everyday; it’s the same thing every time, so I challenge myself to make newer images. I’m lucky that I get to do that. Nobody’s ever really directed me in my career specifying what they want and what to do, which is great.

AB: Let’s say that fashion photography is somewhere between capturing the moment of a performance, an image accentuating the clothes. On your runway shows, how far can you remove yourself from showing simply the clothing to show the spectacle and idea behind the show?

KT: I don’t want to say that the clothes are secondary for what I shoot, but they are less important. Sometimes the model is the star, sometimes the room is the star, and sometimes the clothing is the star. It all depends on the look, on the complete feel and the lighting. Each show has its own element that really stands out that you want to highlight. Sometimes nothing is really that special, but that’s the way it is. I’m looking for the iconic moment—if someone only saw two of my pictures from the show, would they know what the show was about? And there are so many fashion shows, you can’t really take a small designer and make it something graphic, but their purpose is within the clothes. When the opportunity presents itself, that’s where my goal is. You have to hunt for it. I do my best not to phone it in and that is a challenge when you have been photographing for a while.