The Devil of Details

With technical perfection and virtuous lighting, still-life photographer Frederik Lieberath determines how we look at our everyday items and objects.

WORDS: OSKAR HAMMARKRANTZ, PHOTOGRAPHY: FREDERIK LIEBERATH

“If you look at something long enough, it becomes boring. But if you look even longer and closer, something interesting might be happening.” This observation was made by the acclaimed Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky. It’s can be described as a guiding touchstone or work philosophy for the world-renowned Swedish still-life photographer, Frederik Lieberath.

“I aim to do the product justice, to show how it feels and find the best way to represent it.”

This approach has led to Lieberath working for some of the most prestigious global brands, including Armani, Omega, Samsung, Viktor & Rolf, Apple, Capellini, Asprey, Bentley and many others. When a brand launches a new product, and wants stand-out pictures, Lieberath is the person to call. He evokes symbolism, as the product manufacturer wishes it to be perceived.

When Lieberath's interest in photography started to grow in his late teens, his uncle gave him two books. One featured Bill Brandt’s raw, black and white photojournalism, and the other showcased Irving Penn’s still-life masterpieces. It was the latter that became a foundational reference for Lieberath’s career and photographic vision.

Lieberath went on to study Art history at Lund University. If you look closely at his images, you can discern traces of the first still-life painters from 16th and 17th century Netherlands, as well as elements of Irving Penn’s 20th century interpretations of the compositions.

“I’ve always had a strong interest in images and spent many hours in museums all over the world. So, of course I have learnt from paintings and art history just as much as from contemporary photography,” he explains.

As a young man, Lieberath also worked as a photographer’s assistant in Copenhagen, mostly photographing beer glasses for one of Denmark’s largest breweries – “That’s when I really picked up lighting techniques” he says smiling.

In the late eighties, Lieberath began his studies in the photography programme of Konstfack (University College of Arts, Crafts and Design) in Stockholm, where he was introduced to Postmodern theory, which became the basis for his analytical and academic approach to photography. “The other students wanted to go out and do other stuff, so I had the studio almost to myself,” he remembers.

He started working for Swedish fashion and lifestyle magazines often shooting perfume bottles and similar goods, before moving to New York in 1993, where his real breakthrough came with editorial assignments for Harper’s Bazaar. Other notable assignments soon followed for magazines like Vogue, Elle, Velvet and Amica.

“I want to spend as much time with an object as possible.”

The technical skills he achieved while assisting photoshoots of beer glasses evolved even further when Lieberath began getting commercial assignments.

If you look at an official promotional image of an Apple product, an iPhone or iPad or anything else, you will soon recognise the clear visualisation of the item with a typical off-centred diagonal shadow on the screen. A signature result of the lighting and technical brilliance of Frederik Lieberath.

“When Apple was about to introduce the first iPod in 2001, they asked two other photographers and me to come and take some pictures. It was almost like an audition. I did my thing and then went back to Stockholm, thinking that was it,” he recalls.

A couple of weeks later, Apple’s marketing division in California asked Lieberath to come back and take the real shots. They explained that they liked the cleanness and purity of his images, and it turned out to be the beginning of an enduring collaborative relationship.

However, some of Lieberath’s most interesting work doesn’t include prestigious brands or iconic items. An example is a series of images of plain writing paper arranged in perfect geometrical compositions, creating an almost architectonic impression.

In another project, Lieberath researches what really happens in the millisecond that a balloon bursts. “I wanted to caption the exact moment when a physical structure transforms,” he says, adding, “Initially, this was meant as an editorial assignment, showcasing accessories and jewellery, but in the end, the images of the bursting balloons became more interesting than the accessories themselves.”

One of Lieberath’s most beautiful series depicts small animals preserved in Formalin (saturated solution of formaldehyde in water) originally collected by assistants of Swedish botanist and zoologist, Carl von Linné, some dating back to the mid-18th century. Commissioned as an assignment for a Swedish paper manufacturer, today Lieberath’s images stand out as fascinating art works in their own right.

No matter what product or object, Lieberath has a certain ability to highlight and accentuate the tactile qualities of the materials. The observer almost can perceive the feel of cold metal, rough leather or the smoothest gemstones.

“I want to spend as much time with an object as possible. To be able to turn it around, observe it from different angles and finally find the core, the ultimate detail that can stand out as the symbol for the object.”