Left Behind

In keeping with our mission to support and inspire creativity, we ask the artists we collaborate with to offer insight into their work, a look behind the scenes, and the opportunity for our readers to learn more about the process. For our latest fashion feature, photographer Julia Andréone answers our questions.
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What was the inspiration behind this shoot?
The main inspiration for this shoot was a film scene where Catherine Deneuve crawls across her apartment floor. The camera’s perspective, and by extension the viewer’s, is very low, almost at floor level, close to the ground, making the rooms feel tall, heavy, and deep. I wanted to tell a story where you feel a human’s presence in her home without ever seeing her—just through the traces she leaves behind, all seen from a hidden, low angle.

What is your favorite image from this shoot and why?
The photograph where a single shoe is disappearing under the bed. At first glance, the image might seem abstract, but it’s actually a fragment of reality. There’s always one shot during a shoot that feels instinctive, unplanned, yet perfectly aligned with the vision you had in mind.

What are some themes that you are frequently drawn to in your work?
I’m drawn to suspended moments, sensing a human presence in an everyday space without actually seeing it. Displaced objects, abandoned clothes, inviting us to imagine the person and the scene that has already unfolded. We arrive after the fact, when everything has returned to stillness.

Do you have any surprising essentials on set?
I think the set itself became an essential in my work. Over the years, I realized I’m not as inspired in a photo studio. A white space where you have to build everything from scratch was never easy for me. So I decided to work as much as possible in real places, spaces with traces of life, natural light, and imperfections.

This shooting is taking place at my grandmother’s flat in Paris. I spent so much time there as a child and as a teenager. Every corner is filled with stories. It was an inspiring moment to photograph this space from a different perspective and create a new story within it.

How would you describe the style of your work?
I like to ask the people close to me to describe my work. The style they perceive is what matters to me, not the one I intend. I’m happy when people associate my work with a cinematic or documentary approach.

See this story and many more in print by ordering your copy of our eleventh issue here.