NAKED AMBITION Angle’s models talk to
the hand.

Photo: Roderick Angle

Getting into the tents at Bryant Park this week is a pipe dream for those without major connections, but you can still get a look (albeit a two-dimensional one) at fancy frocks and ridiculously high cheekbones in “Click Chic: The Fine Art of Fashion Photography.” Opening Thursday 6 at the Visual Arts Museum, the exhibit spotlights commercial work from six School of Visual Arts alums, including Lawrence, Kansas–born lensman Roderick Angle, whose sartorially savvy spreads have appeared in Spin, Details, Black Book and Surface. (His spread from TONY’s 2006 Fall Fashion issue is highlighted in the show.) Angle chatted with us from his Manhattan studio about his mentors and models, his favorite designers and why Fashion Week has nothing to do with clothing.

What’s changed in fashion photography since you graduated from SVA in 1994?
Photography itself is so different—there’s less consistency of quality. I hate to lament it, but there’s just a lot of stuff that people seem to be phoning in—in part because of digital cameras and tighter production deadlines. I see less consistently great work out there. When there’s great stuff, it’s great. But there’s a lot more schlock these days.

You started out as David LaChapelle’s protégé. That must’ve been some education.
It was always an adventure, like working in a circus where David was the ringmaster. But I learned everything about the industry from him—how to harness a whole production and be the energy for the shoot. A photographer is part artist, part ringmaster and part party promoter. You can’t have your head in the technical stuff. You have to be pushing the social aspects of the shoot.

David’s known for his muses—Amanda Lepore, Pam Anderson, Paris Hilton. Who’s your muse?
There are a lot of models I love to shoot. I work with agencies sometimes, but I really prefer just to go to the streets to find people. I’ve worked with some wonderful burlesque performers—the World Famous *BOB* comes to mind. I go for odd looks and interesting characters. Somebody who’s more than a pretty face: who really brings a whole persona.

Besides David, which other photographers have influenced you?
I love Helmut Newton and Ruven Afanador. Jean-Paul Goude is a master. I’m also influenced by painters—Robert Rauschenberg’s collages have had a big impact on me. I love the way he mixes different pop culture influences. He has a great sense of humor and really gets how pictures work as ideas.

Your own work feels very suspenseful—like we’re walking into the middle of a thriller. Is that intentional?
I try to look at every shoot as a single scene from a movie you haven’t seen yet. I don’t want to give away too much of the action, though. So you’re looking at the moment right before or after the climax.

Interesting choice of words, considering how sexually charged the picture of the nude woman with the guy in jeans is.
That shoot was for the Apartment, which is a boutique design agency. So we were selling a brand, an idea, rather than a physical product. I mean, the jeans the guy is wearing are, like, $25 Levi’s we spray-painted.

Fashion Week is upon us. What shows are you most excited about?
I’m really into Form, Jerry Tam’s label. He does a lot of strong, graphic shapes—it’s minimalist but architectural. Last year, his line was based on kites. And I’m definitely going to see Elise Øverland, this Norwegian designer with a real medieval-goth aesthetic.

The big shows are always overrun with celebutards, who then get all the coverage. Do you wish the attention was put back on the runway?
Well, the buyers don’t go to shows to place orders the way they did in the old days. Fashion Week is really about creating buzz and establishing direction for the coming season. The celebrities help with that. I just wish they were a little more adventurous, and I think there are some talented people out there who aren’t getting the buzz they deserve.

Who’s more of a diva: the models who pull attitude at the shoot, or the tyrannical fashion editors who get all Devil Wears Prada?
I’ve met some amazing people in this industry who are so talented and easy to work with, and there are difficult people on all sides. Some photographers are divas too. I tend to think that the greater the talent, the less the diva. The most talented people I know are just really cool.

“Click Chic: The Fine Art of Fashion Photography” is on view at the Visual Arts Museum Thu 6–Oct 6. For a slide show of Angle’s work for Time Out New York, click the photo gallery in the left column.