Antoine Magnien

“I’m a very instinctive photographer… it has always been a ‘try and learn’ way to do things”

Intercru: Where are you from? Where do you live and work now?

Antoine: I was born in a small town in the east of France. I lived in Lyon for 15 years but currently I live in Paris since 2018.

How did you get started taking photos and making videos?

Around 2007 or 2008 I started taking photos in the concert venues of Lyon. I was really into music, in particular rock music. Most of my friends were and still are musicians.

It was a great way to go to concerts for free and to be really close to the stage. It was very interesting because you have to be very focused to not miss the shot. I think I learned a lot of this period and I kept this instinctive way of making images. I learned to adapt myself. Sometimes you just have 3 songs to take photos and you have to stop, sometimes there’s not a lot of light, sometimes you are very far and you have to find a way to do something cool.

In the beginning, it was just a hobby and a way to go to shows for free but then I started to be very interested in photography as an art.

I started film photography by going to an associative lab and I learned to develop my films. At the same time I was a marketing and communication student. Photography was a passion, not my job, but after years it became more and more important for me. Two years ago I quit my last job to work as a full-time photographer.

For you, what makes the perfect photo?

It’s hard to tell. I’m really bad at talking about photos. I’m a very instinctive photographer and I did not go to any school so I’ve never learned things in an academic way. It has always been a “try and learn” way to do things.

I think I’m very into minimalism. Looking for the perfect amount of elements into your images. Not too many flourishes.

Maybe that’s why I’m so interested in nude photography. Not because of the erotism but because I want it simple. I try to do the same thing for my commercial work in fashion: just having enough elements in my photography. Also, attitudes are very important for me. I’m always looking for models with great attitudes. It’s more important for me than “beauty.”

Where do you find creative inspiration?

I think I am very inspired by the photographers and images I discovered online 10 years ago on Tumblr. I really miss the old internet.

I feel like we now live with the internet of “winners” (influencers, people showing where they travel, very commercial images, etc.). Some years ago, it was way cooler and you had to search to find new cool artists on Tumblr or Blogspot. It was like a jungle where you could find rare fruits.

So yeah, I’m very inspired by what I see and saw online but also a lot by pop culture (musicians, movies, magazines, iconic objects...).

I think it’s ok to admit creation is always a re-interpretation. It’s the same thing regarding photography or music or any arts.

Creation feeds the creation.