Mario Testino: Photography is magic

Mario Testino has likened taking photographs to the moment cowboys draw their guns.

The acclaimed fashion star has taken pictures of some of the most iconic people in the world, among them Britain’s late Princess Diana and Kate Moss.

Mario has celebrated his 30th anniversary in the business with a special spread in the Spring/Summer edition of LOVE magazine. He tried to explain why he finds photography so thrilling.

“To me the magic of photography per se is that you can capture an instant of a second that couldn't exist before and couldn't exist after,” he is quoted as saying by guardian.co.uk.

“It's almost like a cowboy that draws his gun. You draw a second before or after, you miss and you're dead – not them. To me photography's always like that.”

That idea is something Mario always thinks of when he is taking a picture. It means his shots are often viewed as a moment in time, rather than staged portraits.

“The fact that I think of photography like that will always make you think that there was a moment before and a moment after because I like it to be… not so dead. I want the person to be there and to feel also my presence in my photographs. And you only feel that if it's a moment in time rather than a static moment,” he added.