I have been collaborating with a Lisbon-based magazine called Zoot for over a year now. The first feature I did for them was an interview with Sandra Backlund and I still remember that when I got my copy of the magazine I was absolutely mesmerised by the cover, portraying a girl sporting a look that reminded me a bit of Liliana Cavani’s Il portiere di notte (The Night Porter). It was only later on that I learnt how the cover had been shot by Thomas Probosch. The photographer's work didn’t only grace the cover of the mag, he was indeed also the author of some of my fave photo shoots.
I particularly remember the shoot for the Spring/Summer 2008 issue, with a model walking in the streets of Lisbon dressed in bright and colourful garments and crazy accessories. A few months ago I had the chance of meeting Thomas in London and it was in that occasion that he recounted me how he ended up working in Lisbon. Born in Germany, where he won his first photographic competition when he was 12 and where he studied photography in Munich, Thomas opened in the '80s a studio for advertising photography in Hamburg.
In 1989 he jumped in a car and decided to suddenly move to London, but the English capital wasn’t enough for him, so he eventually moved to New York and then came to back to Europe and tried his luck in Barcelona. So far in his life he has worked as a steelworker, speedboat driving instructor, ski-jumping trainer and mobility coach for blind children.
Four years ago he landed in Portugal and, in 2005, co-founded with partner Andrea Zoot Magazine in 2005, concentrating on fashion or beauty shots.
Thomas’ latest work is featured in the Autumn/Winter 2008-09 issue of Zoot: the Chanel advertorial "VII.Invasion" features some glamorous pictures of top model Adrian Hilliard looking fierce kitted out from head to toe in Chanel and cuddling cute kitten Horace.
If you want to know more about Thomas Probosch's work and you happen to be in Lisbon in the next few weeks, stop at the Zootstudios where you will be able to visit an exhibition entirely dedicated to Probosch's photo shoots taken between 2005 and 2008. The exhibition opens tomorrow and, if you're lucky, you might even meet the man himself who will definitely be happy to chat with you about the secrets of a great photo shoot.
"Thomas Probosch - Selected Works 2005-2008", Zootstudios, LX Factory, Rua Rodrigues Faria 103, Lisbon, Portugal, 21 November-21 December 2008.
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