Photographer Spotlight: Hans Neumann

Some photographers will trace their love for the camera back to childhood or design school, but Peruvian photographer Hans Neumann uncovered his passion while studying law, of all things, at Universidad de Lima.

"When I was in law school, I realized I was spending most of my time watching movies, looking at art ... I loved the idea of freezing a moment and keeping it forever."

Neumann soon relocated to New York City where he began assisting major talents like Cedric Buchet and Vincent Laforet. In 2008, a fortuitous introduction with fellow Peruvian, Mario Testino, led to an important professional relationship that catapulted Neumann into the glitz and glamour of the fashion industry.

"Fashion, for me, was a way to be able to build and control the light and what I wanted to say -- the same way with portraits," Neumann explains. "Compared to journalism, where you're documenting ... mine is a world that I have created."

His body of work demonstrates a broad range of tastes and abilities, from super-saturated and heavily-lit editorials to gritty black-and-white images snapped on street corners. "I love light, but I don't want to be defined by just one type," he says. "I use different ways to tell different things. The light is a tool, I would say."

As Neumann continues to develop his style (he hopes to get Kate Moss or Louis Garrel in front of his camera on day), he claims the most important thing to remember on set is gratitude. "Smile and have fun," he says. "We are lucky to be doing what we're doing."

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