John Rawson

What country are you from, and where do you live?

I’m from England and currently live in the rural county of Lincolnshire after many years in London.

Title of what you do and what company you work with?

I own the Rawson Partnership, which I set up in the early ’90s to provide services for the hair and beauty industry, including photography and PR/press services.

Education background (art school, photography class, self-taught)?

I’m largely self-taught after many years of hair and fashion industry involvement.

What is your signature style/artistic expression in your work?

My main style would be described as ‘clean and sharp’! I’m a big fan of photographers like Sante D’orazio and other 80s guys—black and white – very crisp and allowing the subject to speak.

What type of images or people do you like to shoot?

I love graphic, sharp and unusual. I’m constantly telling people to do the ‘ODD” thing because it means it’s new and fresh rather than something we’ve seen before. I’d love a new ‘Punk” revolution.. a new McQueen!!!!

Do you have a career turning point or big break that has helped your career? 

I moved from a successful career in hair to photography in the early 90s on a whim and a gamble. Through luck and hard work, we’ve managed to create a fantastic life setting, a style of work that won awards and has been the key to our overall success; in particular, the BHA and NAHAs, etc., have been great for us as its increased our press portfolio tremendously, and we’ve had many covers published subsequently … well over 300.

What was the scariest and proudest moment in your career?

I’m not scared of much, work-wise, but I flew to Australia a few years ago to shoot, and when we set everything up, the cameras wouldn’t work!!! I madly called my assistant at 4 am UK time, and it turned out they’d changed all the software we use… nightmare!!

The proudest moment may be yet to come, but winning awards and other accolades is important profile-wise. I don’t take the credit solely for that, so it’s about the team’s success for me.

What is next for your career goals?

Career-wise, I’m pretty happy with how it’s gone over the last 20 years, and I’ve been lucky enough to win most of what I wanted.. a Vogue cover would be nice!!!!!

What advice would you give to someone starting a photography career? Advice for starting up? I’d spend a lot of time getting a great team together. You can’t do it alone. Makeup, styling, models, retouch and press are all critical, so try and get everything in place so when you launch, you’re ready.

Instagram: @johnrawson