ILJA MEEFOUT (June 2008) |Interview By: Jonathan Hay

   Ilja Meefout, the celebrity photographer from Amsterdam, is blazing the scene with his smokin’ hot photography -- putting him in higher demand among hip-hop artists than a Cannabis coffee shop. This self-educated film expressionist describes what it’s like shooting stars like Lil’ Wayne, 50 cent, and Ice Cube as he sits down exclusively with Dubcnn from the Netherlands in his first U.S. interview…slipping us a couple exclusive photos of Lil’ Wayne.

Stepping out from behind the camera, with his eye on the stars – allow me to introduce you the man with a vision; Ilja Meefout
 

As ever, you can read this exclusive interview below and we urge you to leave feedback on our forums or email them to haywire@dubcnn.com.

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Interview was done in June 2008

Questions Asked By: Jonathan Hay
 

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Shooting Stars: The Ilja Meefout Interview
Shooting Stars From Lil Wayne to 50 Cent to Ice Cube
By Jonathan Hay aka “Haywire”
Interview Assisted by Sunday Rachelle
www.myspace.com/jonathanhay
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Exclusive Lil Wayne Photos For Dubcnn
Courtesy of Ilja Meefout



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Dubcnn: Where are you located?

Amsterdam, The Netherlands where I’m born and raised. It’s a great place to be for me since everybody visits Amsterdam. That’s one of the reasons I’ve had the chance to take pictures of so many Hip Hop artists already. Everybody loves to come to Amsterdam.


Dubcnn: And we all know why people love to come to Amsterdam *laughing*… So how do you come up with ideas for shoots?

Mostly on the spot, inspiration comes now when the shots must be taken. Especially with portraits I like to come to a shoot without an exact idea of what we’re gonna do, because if I’d already know you’d see my own idea in the picture instead of what the person in the picture is like. Since I come in blanco, everything depends on the vibe on that moment and that’s unique in that moment. This way of working also adds some pressure and I feed off of that. Sometimes I have a faint idea already but never in a way that nothing spontaneous can happen or that an idea blocks the energy of that moment. This kind of idea’s aren’t really concepts I put into words before, it’s more a feeling I have that I get from that particular person (or his/her music for instance). If I would try to write down such an idea, it would be like translating a feeling into words and then translate it into something visual. I think it’s better to lose as little as possible in translation, so I tend to skip the step of writing down concepts and translate a feeling directly into a picture.


Dubcnn: Is there someone you have always wanted to photograph or work with?

Yes, of course. Although I’m not gonna jinx it by saying it *laughing*...when it happens I’ll let you know. So far I’m accomplishing all the things I’m shooting for, like being published in certain magazines, taking photos for certain artists etc etc. Every time I make such an accomplishment, I raise the bar for myself. One of the things I said to myself years ago -- in high school probably -- is that I want to travel the world and see many different places and somehow that’s exactly what’s happening. Not in a straightforward way that I just book different holidays, but just by doing what I love to do and not even thinking about travelling. Now that I look back, I realize it’s already happening.


Dubcnn: Have you ever had to work with a complete diva (high maintenance)?

Not really...everybody’s different to deal with. Some people need a lot of communication and want to be very involved in the selection and editing process while other people completely trust me and let me do what I do. I just adapt and understand everybody is different. That’s not to say I’ll put up with everything since I don’t. It’s just a balance to know when to go along or when to put your foot down. In the end though, I’m aware everything is my responsibility. So even when somebody else thinks they’re in control, they aren’t, I might only let them think so.


Dubcnn: Do you have any tricks you use to get someone out of their comfort zone when taking their photograph?

No, I don’t use any tricks at all, as those wouldn’t help to get a ‘real’ picture. I just go with the flow mostly. I try to focus on what’s positive about the subject I’m taking pictures of -- whether this is a person or a place -- and execrate those qualities or try to show an aspect that you didn’t know about this person already.


Dubcnn: Do you have a muse or a favorite photographer?

Anton Corbijn, Annie Leibovitz, David LaChappelle and Mario Testino are some of my favorite, still alive and working, photographers. I also love to look at paintings but I don’t go the museums as much as I should.


Dubcnn: What is the price range for one of your shoots?

I'm fortunate to do only things I love to do, like meeting great people, travelling the world and I even get paid to do it. There’s no standard price range I use since every shoot and usage is different.


Dubcnn: Is photography something you have always planned and wanted to do?

Not really. I used to draw as a kid, then paint in school. Went to art school to study graphic design where I got my first taste of photography -- a two-week basic introduction. In graphic design I didn’t like to first work on a concept for weeks and then work a few weeks more on that same idea towards a product, it was just too slow. I noticed I started using more and more photography in my designs but eventually quit art school and worked in a cinema for some years until I just quit my job in the middle of a working day and decided to never work anymore. I’d just bought my first good camera one month prior to that. I have a hard time to see myself as a photographer since that implies it’s a job, I just take pictures and that’s that. I’ve never even shopped around with a portfolio looking for work, but somehow my schedule always fills up.


Dubcnn: Do you have any advice or tricks-of-the-trade for any aspiring photographers out there?

Have fun...do what you want to do, don't follow the latest trends, follow your own instincts. This also means to quit your job -- the one that hasn’t anything to do with photography -- since it is only a distraction. When you have a check coming in every month you’ll get comfortable and won’t push your photography as hard as somebody who’s focusing 100 percent on making photos. If you love to take pictures, it should be more fun than a job anyway, so to have fun is really the best advice I can give.


Dubcnn: Where did you study photography?

I’m mostly self-educated. Although when I decided to have a shot at making a living with photography I didn't have any assignments what is logical since I just started. So after half a year without any money coming in and lots of spare time I started to take classes to improve my skills -- a two day in the week for two years course -- and all of a sudden I got paid assignments. Luckily, my teachers were supportive and encouraged me to do my own work what was very good for me, since I almost didn't do any schoolwork anyway. In the end I graduated cum laude, which goes to show that it’s best to play by your own rules and the rest will follow.


Dubcnn: What is your favorite camera you use?

The one that gets the job done.. Although I mainly use digital Nikon gear, -- I just bought a Nikon D3. But even though the latest digital cameras are very advanced and have a million functions and options I always set them as basic as possible -- only automatic focus most of the time. The principle stays the same when I use an all-manual camera that’s more than 50 years old or rent a more than $30.000 high-tech digital medium format system.


Dubcnn: I am going to list 9 different artists you have done photo shoots with and please describe the experience. Ready?

Dubcnn: 50 Cent

We got 15 minutes to do an interview and photo shoot. It was the end of long press day for 50 Cent promoting Curtis. The deal was to do a 10-minute interview, so I had 5 minutes to take pictures -- which were the only photo shoot that day. But 50 gave such a long answer to the last question, there wasn’t anytime left for the photos. Luckily, I had set-up my lights already and he agreed to take a couple of shots anyway, where I asked him to sit on the edge of a couch. He was not really feeling the couch I guess, so he just walked away after two shots to stand against a wooden panel wall...I just grabbed one of my strobes and hoped for the best. In the end, I got 20 useable pictures in only one minute of taking pictures.


Dubcnn: Fat Joe

Fat Joe cancelled the planned interview and photo session, but I was determined to get his picture anyway since I don't like to go away empty handed. Backstage me and a friend were joking that it took him so long to leave the dressing room because he probably had a KFC bucket...then he actually left the dressing room with a KFC bucket -- I guess he doesn’t like to leave empty handed as well *laughing*! While he was going to the exit, I asked permission to take his photo and he had this grin on his face what makes it a good photo.


Dubcnn: Lil Wayne

Basically the same as with Fat Joe...last-minute Lil’ Wayne didn’t feel like doing interviews and taking pictures. Luckily, Birdman did, so the day spend in the hotel wasn’t a complete loss. And because we had been waiting for so long his manager granted everybody from the press backstage access to the show later that night. After the show, I took the opportunity to take pictures, before he went into a press conference. Lil’ Wayne was still very hyper of all the energy from the crowd. I’ve never seen so many girls faint a rap concert before.


Dubcnn: Cilvaringz

Worked with him many times in a short time-period. His album cover was shot during a video shoot for Salah Edin -- one of the artists Ringz manages. Babygrande --his label in the States-- didn’t feel the painted album cover he already had at the time, so we had to change it last minute with a new cover that was only possible because of the time difference between Europe and the States. Shot it, edited in a background from his hometown in Morocco we already shot weeks before we even knew he’d need another cover, and sent it in in just a few hours before the deadline.



Dubcnn: Quest Love

The ringtone on my mobile phone is the Seed 2.0 by the Roots and off course; somebody had to call me during a quick backstage photo session with Quest... *laughing*


Dubcnn: Redman

Red loves Amsterdam for obvious reasons so it's always nice to take to some pics with the Doc when he’s here. The first time I met him he’d just came off a bad flight and had some other issues which all of sudden disappeared when he got a great surprise after the sound check and I got a great pic of Redman happy as a kid with a big bag of weed in his mouth.

Dubcnn: Ice Cube

He was very professional and on-point. He liked the cigar I got him for the photo shoot in his 5 star hotel suite and as a result, I really liked the pics we made. Later that day he did a concert and afterwards when I wanted to show some of the photos we took earlier his manager comes out of the dressing room asking me if I can get some ice cubes...I was like huh What The F-ck?? Where's the candid camera? Anyway, I got Ice Cube ice cubes and he loved the pictures *laughing*.


Dubcnn: KRS-One

This was a very special moment for me. Not only was it special that KRS was in Amsterdam for the first time in ten years -- he doesn’t fly, it was also one of my first portraits ever and he’s one of Hip Hop’s all time legends, so I really felt honored to have this opportunity. He had just done a very long interview in which he basically explained everything -- and I do mean everything. At that point, in time I understood the whole universe, right now I can’t recall how to make sense out of it all. Eventually I had 30 seconds to take his picture, and I decided to overexpose everything except KRS as if he was surrounded by knowledge -- white light, enlightenment.


Dubcnn: Focus…

Focus... is one of the most humble people I’ve ever met. First time we met was in the Dominican Republic on the set of yet another Salah Edin video -- Focus... produced his completely Dutch album. Later he came to Amsterdam where we did some more pictures, but I wish I could’ve captured the look on his face better when in the Red Light District out of nothing a dude with a big rubber dildo ran by...only in Amsterdam! *Laughing* Focus... is always fun, high energy and his 50 Cent impersonation is crazy.


Dubcnn: In addition, your photo shoot experience with the legendary George Clinton is hilarious. Can you please share that story with the readers?

Ilja Meefout: You know how everybody always tells you to say no to drugs? Not George Clinton, as he is the only person I’ve met that will actually tell you to say yes to drugs!


Dubcnn: Finally, how do people get in contact with you?

Email, MySpace and I’m easy to Google.


Dubcnn: Last words?

Thanks for taking the time to interview me. Keep an eye on IljaMeefout.com, it’s my new website and it will be fully online in a few weeks, end of July 2008.