Izithombe zomthwebuli wengqephu owazalelwa e-Australia uRussell James ziye zasiza ekulolongeni lokho okubonakala njengokukhangayo ngomsebenzi wakhe weVictoria’s Secret. Encwadini yakhe yesihlanu eshicilelwe emhlabeni wonke ebizwa ngokuthi “Izingelosi”, uthephe amanye amamodeli aphezulu kulebula yangaphansi okuhlanganisa u-Adriana Lima, u-Alessandra Ambrosio kanye no-Lily Aldridge ukuze ahloniphe ifomu lentombazane enamakhasi angu-304. Idutshulwe ngokumnyama nokumhlophe, imiphumela iyamangalisa ukusho okungenani. Engxoxweni ekhethekile ne-FGR, umthwebuli wezithombe ukhuluma ngokudubula izithombe ezinqunu, ukuthi umsebenzi wezandla ushintshe kanjani, isikhathi sokuziqhenya somsebenzi wakhe nokunye okwengeziwe.
Ngethemba ukuthi abantu babona izithombe ezivusa inkanuko, ezivusa inkanuko, ezinikeza amandla kwabesifazane futhi ezibonisa uthando lwami lokukhanya, ukwakheka kanye nesimo.
Lena incwadi yakho yesihlanu eshicilelwe emhlabeni jikelele. Ingabe kuhlukile kulokhu?
Le ncwadi yesi-5 iyamangalisa ngempela kimi njengoba ngangingaqiniseki neze ukuthi ingaba khona kuze kube ngenza izicelo eziningi zomuntu siqu ezifundweni zami. Bengilokhu ngikuthanda kakhulu ukuthwebula izithombe kuzo zonke izinhlobo eziningi: izindawo, imfashini, isiko lendabuko, osaziwayo kanye 'nokunqunu'. Izincwadi zami ezi-4 ezedlule bezigxilwe ezihlokweni futhi le ncwadi igxile ngokuphelele 'kunqunu'. Ngathobeka futhi ngajabula ngendlela emangalisayo lapho abantu engangibabuza bevuma, njengoba kwakubonisa izinga lokwethembana engikwazisa kakhulu. Ngikuthathe njengokusho ukuthi owesifazane osencwadini uzwe ukuthi isibhamu yinto omunye wesifazane angayithanda, futhi lokho kuwumgomo wami njalo.
Bengilokhu ngifisa ukwazi, unquma kanjani ukuthi yiziphi izithombe ozozifaka encwadini? Kumelwe kube nzima ukunciphisa umsebenzi wakho siqu. Ingabe unaye umhleli ongakusiza?
Ukuhlela mhlawumbe ama-50% noma ngaphezulu anoma yimuphi umsebenzi wokuthatha izithombe. Kuyindaba eyodwa ukuthwebula uhlaka oluhle, futhi kungenye into ukukhetha uhlaka 'olulungile'. U-Ali Franco ube ngumqondisi wami wokuqamba iminyaka engaphezu kwe-15. Uyena kuphela umuntu engimvumela ukuthi ‘aphonse inselelo’ ukuhlela kwami futhi uwukuphela komuntu engimethembayo ukuthi angabuyekeza ifilimu njengokungathi uyimi. Sisebenzisana eduze futhi uye wangisiza ukuba ngifike ezithombeni ezifanele izikhathi eziningi. Ubudlelwano bokudala buyingxenye ebalulekile yempumelelo.
Kusukela ekuqaleni kokuthwebula kuze kube sekupheleni kwesithombe, uyini umgomo wakho ekusetheni?
Ekudubuleni nginqunu inhloso yami yokuqala ukwenza ngangokunokwenzeka ukwenza isihloko sami sikhululeke futhi singabi sengozini. Inhloso yami iyonke iwukwenza isithombe esizothandwa umenziwa ngokwakhe futhi angazizwa edelelekile noma exhashazwa–ngifuna owesifazane osesithombeni aziqhenye ngesithombe futhi asikhiphe eminyakeni eyishumi kusukela manje athi 'Ngijabule kakhulu. Nginaso lesi sithombe'.
Ukusebenzisana ne-Victoria's Secret, cishe unomunye wemisebenzi ekhangayo kakhulu emhlabeni wabafana abaningi. Uqale kanjani ukushuthela i-VS?
Alukho usuku oludlula lapho ngingayibongi inhlanhla yami yokusebenza eduze nenkampani eyodwa egqama kakhulu kwabesifazane emhlabeni. Ngaqashelwa uMongameli, u-Ed Razek, ngemva kokubona uchungechunge lwezithombe engangizithwebule zikaStephanie Seymour kumagazini omkhulu, kanye nesembozo engangisenze ngaleyo nyanga ye-Sports Illustrated of Tyra Banks. Angizange ngiqale ukubashuthela lokho njalo ngaso leso sikhathi, kodwa saqala ubuhlobo futhi ngemva kweminyaka eminingi yokukhula nomkhiqizo, ukwethembana kwakhula futhi. Angikuthathi kalula futhi ngizitshela wonke amahlumela ukuthi ngimuhle njengesithombe sami sokugcina, ngakho kumayelana nokuzibophezela kokubili. Oh futhi yebo, ngibe nenhlanhla kakhulu ukuqashelwa!
Uma ungasebenzi, yiziphi ezinye zezinto ozilibazisa ngazo?
Ngicabanga ukuthi ukuthatha izithombe zami akuwona umsebenzi wami kodwa kuwumlutha kakhulu. Uma ngingathwebuli isithombe somkhiqizo, usaziwayo noma inhlangano esiza abantulayo ngokuvamile ngitholakala ezindaweni ezifana nemiphakathi ekude yoMdabu waseMelika, i-Outback Australia, i-Indonesia noma i-Haiti ngihamba ngobuciko bami bokuhlanganyela be-'Nomad Two Worlds' kanye nebhizinisi.
Ukube ubungeyena umthwebuli wezithombe, yimuphi omunye umsebenzi obungacabanga ukuthi unawo?
Umshayeli wendiza. Angikakaqhubeki noku-hang gliding nokho engihlose ukukwenza - isohlwini lwami lwamabhakede! Nginomngane omkhulu ongumshayeli wendiza wenkampani yakhe eqashayo (Zen Air) futhi sixhawulane ukuze senze ukushintshana komsebenzi iminyaka embalwa-okumangalisayo ukuthi ubonakala efuna umsebenzi wami ngendlela engingathanda ngayo! Ngicabanga ukuthi ukundiza kukhuluma 'nomhambi' wami ukuze uhlale ukunyakaza okungapheli.
Yini othemba ukuthi abantu bayithathe encwadini yakho?
Ngethemba ukuthi abantu babona izithombe ezivusa inkanuko, ezivusa inkanuko, ezinikeza amandla kwabesifazane futhi ezibonisa uthando lwami lokukhanya, ukwakheka kanye nesimo. Lowo umusho omfushane futhi angisoze ngawufinyelela nawo wonke umuntu, nokho leyo yibha ephezulu engingathanda ukuyishaya!
Ingabe kukhona imfashini noma usaziwayo ongakamthwebuli futhi ofisa ukukwazi?
O he, abaningi. Abantu abaningi bayangithakasela. Ngezinye izikhathi ngenxa yobuhle babo obukhulu, impumelelo yabo, isiko labo. Kungaba uhlu olude kakhulu. Ngaphambili kosaziwayo njengamanje uJennifer Lawrence, Beyonce, Lupita Nyong’o bangabanye engibathola bemangalisa.
Isiphi isikhathi esizigqaja ngaso emsebenzini wakho kuze kube manje?
Isikhathi sokuziqhenya kakhulu emsebenzini wami kwaba ukukwazi ukutshela abazali bami, emuva ngo-1996, ukuthi ngase ngikhokhelwe ngempela ukuthatha isithombe, esikhundleni sokukhokhela zonke izindleko zami. I-W Magazine yaphula isomiso sami seminyaka engu-7 futhi yangikhokhela inani elikhulu lama-$150 ngokudubula. Ngangisonqenqemeni lokubuyela emsebenzini wensimbi nokuthatha izithombe njengenkosikazi yami eyimfihlo engazange ibe umkami.
Usuneminyaka engamashumi amabili uthwebula, futhi kufanele ubone ukuthi izithombe zishintshe kanjani. Uyini umehluko omkhulu phakathi kwamanje nesikhathi uqala?
Ngibone izinguquko ezimangalisayo kwezobuchwepheshe kanye nalokho obukuvumelayo. Ngicabanga ukuthi into enhle ngobuchwepheshe budala inkundla yokudlala elinganayo. Ngenkathi ngiqala kwadingeka ngisebenze eminye imisebenzi eminingi ukuze nje ngikhokhele ifilimu nokucubungula, kwase kuthi wonke lawo makhemikhali amabi ehla futhi ngethemba ukuthi 'awanabo ubuthi' njengoba sasitshelwe. Manje umthwebuli wezithombe angaqala ngentengo enengqondo futhi anikeze abafana abanjengami nabanye inselele kusukela osukwini 1. Lokho kunempilo kuwo wonke umuntu njengoba kusenza sonke siphushe ukuze sibe ngcono.
Okungashintshile yilokho abantu abafana no-Irving Penn no-Richard Avedon abangifundise kona: ukukhanyisa, ukwenza uzimele ngamabomu nokuba nokuqiniseka kokulandela umzwelo wakho wokudala - leyo ifomula engeke ihlale iholela kumafreyimu angcono.
Njenge-PS ngivuka nsuku zonke ngicabanga, 'Izithombe zami ziyamunca! Ngeke ngiphinde ngisebenze!’. Ngigxuma ngiphume embhedeni ngalokho njengamandla ami okushayela. Anginaso isiqiniseko sokuthi lokho kunempilo yini kodwa kuyawenza ngempela umsebenzi.