I know it sounds like a contradiction. But the early seasons genuinely had professional appeal for me. How do other photographers work? How do they light a shot? What shooting concepts are out there that I haven't tried yet? A shoot with an elephant in a circus tent would still excite me today. Hanging from a helicopter, too. Neither has happened yet, but hope, as they say, dies last.
Then in season one, Lena Gercke won. Short hair, which I considered an underrated look back then and still do. She went on to have a real international career, and I always thought: yes, that was well earned.
At some point I had a contestant in front of my lens myself. Katy, I still remember the name, though I no longer recall which season it was. Not a GNTM shoot, but a commission for a gym. Clothed, during training, well outside my usual territory.
And then in season eight, I noticed Marie Czuczman while watching and immediately thought: Playmate potential. Sometimes you just have an eye for it. She did indeed become a Playmate, and I got to handle the production. One of my most extraordinary shoots to this day, partly because it took place in Sitges, one of the locations from my photobook Sublime, which had its premiere just a few days later. One of those weeks where it feels like someone scheduled too many good things at once.
I still watch Kristian Schuller with genuine pleasure. What he has been doing in recent years, manipulating the image directly in-camera with smeared glass plates, colored translucent paper, all kinds of optical distortions, I think it's brilliant. I feel it. And then there's Rankin, that crafty one from England. Remarkable guy, terrific photographer, with a self-confidence he's entirely entitled to. Some other elements of the format were simply ridiculous, some shoots unrealistic to the point of absurdity. But I suppose that comes with the territory.
The makeover episodes are an annual highlight for me. Whenever a model bursts into tears because her hair is about to be cut, I think the same thing every time: it grows back. Promised. Heidi Klum, whatever one might say or write about her, has achieved something with this format that shouldn't be dismissed. She kept the subject of modelling in German living rooms for two decades, explained to generations of viewers what actually goes into a shoot, and built a format that, despite everything, is still standing.
What started to annoy me at some point: the cattiness. Season after season, reliable as spring flooding. I wanted to watch photographers at work, pick up some inspiration, be entertained. Instead: psychological drama, tears, and scheming. Then came the zeitgeist of body positivity, the age limit was dropped, and suddenly mothers and daughters were competing alongside each other. In one season, the mother was visibly in better shape than her own daughter. That actually surprised me.
The current season is running remarkably harmoniously and I'm genuinely enjoying it. Models who put in the effort. Well-trained bodies. Contestants who can walk and hold a conversation. No meltdowns, no scheming. And I'm reminded again of why I always appreciated the format: it's an observation lab. People, their behaviour, their presence, the dynamics that develop. For that, this show is genuinely excellent.
All of this was running through my head last night, after I watched the episode at Venice Beach. And then it occurred to me that I actually own a photograph of Venice Beach myself. Taken thirty years ago, still as a tourist, with no idea that I would ever become a photographer. It's the cover image of this article. The circle closes, as they say, even if it took thirty years to get there.