The Assouline collaborator and acclaimed photographer discusses his pre-shoot rituals, "finding the light" and how he stays inspired.
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A portrait of Oliver Pilcher.
In the realm of visual storytelling, a great photographer wields a unique power to shape perceptions and evoke emotions. Through their lens, they capture fleeting moments and eternal truths. Each photograph becomes a window to the soul of a place or person, inviting viewers to embark on a journey of discovery and empathy.
Oliver Pilcher reflects one such talent. The Scottish travel and portrait photographer studied sculpture at the Edinburgh College of Art before embarking on a photographic career that has taken him around the world. Pilcher, a contributing photographer at Condé Nast Traveler, has photographed the visuals for several Assouline tomes, including Turquoise Coast (2019), Paris Chic (2020), New York Chic (2023) and Morocco Kingdom of Light (2023). Pilcher, his wife, Abigail, and their four children, Andalucia, Bianca, Constantina and Herbie divide their time “following the light” across Long Island, New York and Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Assouline caught up with the photographer in between surfing with his family and covering photo assignments to discuss his influences and pre-shoot rituals.
Who was an early influence on you creatively?
My uncle, Richard Imrie, was a successful fashion photographer and portrait photographer. He shot everyone from the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix to the Rolling Stones, all that lot. I saw what photography could offer. I always loved art so I went to art school and studied sculpture in Edinburgh for four years. Sculpture was great because it was very free and I could do whatever I wanted. I ended up doing a lot of photography in that time and then I moved to New York when I was 25 and started to become an assistant.
How do you prepare for a shoot?
I first create a mood board not to copy, but just to just to inspire and mentally get prepared. The morning of a shoot, I wake up, stretch, exercise and drink mate (I’ve been drinking it 15 years now and drink it every morning). I get my thoughts together, get my head together. Drinking mate is a meditation in a way. It’s just me alone with my thoughts to settle myself.
What do you strive to express in your work?
Love, emotion, a human connection. I just want to connect with my subjects and I want people to feel good when they look at my pictures. Humanity is the answer. We have to believe it and show love and show connections with each other and through collaboration and good energy, we can achieve a whole lot.
Which photograph changed the trajectory of your career?
I shot a beauty story for Conde Nast Traveler in Lake Como and I met this amazing family called the Materi family, who owns and restores 1950s mahogany Riva motorboats. I got these Italian models to dive off the boat we were on and I didnt even have a waterproof camera. I had a life preserver on and I was in the water at sunset taking the photographs. It was a beautiful time. I didn’t think much of it, but then this picture became the cover of the 20th anniversary of Conde Nast Traveler and a lot of people saw it and that’s how Assouline found me.