Running concurrently with the Peter Berlin exhibition at Mariposa Gallery in Los Angeles, renowned photographer Ethan James Green is showing Bombshell. This display of some of Green’s latest works is a subversion of the idea of the “bombshell”, reinterpreting the concept by inviting his models to style and pose themselves in ways that embody their personal perspectives. Fresh from shooting this year’s Pirelli Calendar, Green has become one of the world’s most sought-after photographers thanks to his unflinching black and white portraits where he documents his social circle in New York. We caught up with the photographer prior to the show opening.

Barry Pierce: Tell us about the series of images that make up Bombshell, did the project have a distinct starting point?
Ethan James Green: The body of work started when my friend, hair stylist Lucas Wilson, asked if I wanted to photograph some hair tests with my other friend Marcs Goldberg as the model. During the first day of shooting, we kept saying, “Bombshell!” over and over and that’s where the idea for the project started. That day was so fun and inspiring that I wanted to continue exploring the bombshell archetype by inviting the subjects to style and pose themselves in ways that embodied their personal perspectives on femininity, glamour, and sex appeal. Even though there’s an element of fantasy to the images, I think of Bombshell as a documentary project, in that my role was documenting the collaboration between the models and hair stylists that helped create their vision in each image.

BP: Which photographers have inspired you the most?
EJG: I’ve been most inspired by Mary Ellen Mark, Richard Avedon, Dana Lixenberg, Francesco Scavullo, Irving Penn, and David Armstrong, who was my mentor. For Bombshell specifically, Joyce Baronio’s photographs inspired me to play with the relationship between setting and character. Her approach to framing her studio space and incorporating direct natural light were important visual references.

BP: You’re a photographer who has been able to very successfully switch between your portraiture and editorial work, how do you balance those two quite different worlds?
EJG: I think of myself as a portrait photographer, and centring portraiture as the base of what I do makes it easy to switch between personal and editorial work because it becomes about the person in front of the camera more than anything else. However, the two ways of working are distinct: my personal bodies of work have been organic creative moments, where editorial work has deadlines and more requirements involved, which make them more of a problem-solving process.

BP: What do you believe makes a great portrait subject? Is it about finding someone with a unique look or is it more about the connection between the subject and the photographer?
EJG: It’s hard to narrow down what makes a great subject for a portrait because what intrigues me often differs from person to person. A memorable face can be impactful. Ultimately if it’s possible to make a connection between the subject and photographer, I’ve found it allows the subject to relax and let their guard down, which is when you get the best outcome.