INTERVIEW
Rankin
Over 25 years of stylish photography feature in Rankin’s new book Play. Steve Fairclough speaks to him about his approach to music and portraits
Debbie Harry for Dazed & Confused, 1998.
© Play by Rankin, Rizzoli New York, 2020
Rankin
Photographer, filmmaker and publisher
Rankin was born in Paisley, Scotland, in 1966. He originally studied to be an accountant before realising he wanted to pursue a creative career. In 1992 he co‐founded the magazine Dazed & Confused with Jefferson Hack, and has since founded the magazines Hunger, Rank, Another Magazine and Another Man.
Initially best known for his fashion photography and innovative magazines, Rankin has branched out into filmmaking and TV. In 2014 he recreated classic fashion photography in the BBC TV programme Seven Photographs That Changed Fashion. He has also been commissioned for major charity projects, including Nike’s Lace Up Save Lives, Women’s Aid and Surfrider Foundation.
Rankin has had over 50 books of his photography published. During 2020 he had his own Sky Arts TV series, and he continues to be one of Britain’s top and most hard-working creative forces.
www.rankinphoto.co.uk
Since the quirky pop star Björk posed for him in 1994, Rankin has spent over 25 years shooting the biggest names in music – from 1970s icons Debbie Harry and David Bowie to modern-day artists such as Rita Ora and Akala. Nearly 200 of his classic music portraits feature in his new book Play, which combines his bold portraiture with his behind-the-scenes stories of working with music legends.
2020 was a busy year for Rankin, with major projects dotted throughout the year alongside his usual workload. These have included his series of 12 portraits of key NHS workers to mark its 72nd anniversary, his Sky Arts TV series Rankin’s 2020 and the digital exhibition Lost for Words, which featured famous people photographed alongside background images of those close to them who had died. The idea of Lost for Words was to highlight the need to discuss grief and death openly.