I have no real training in the history of fine art or furniture; my eye just works by proportions. I react intuitively. In London, it’s all about color because the weather is so gray, and in that cold light they look beautiful. – Mario Testino
Being Peruvian means to come from the farthest place possible to get to Europe. Peru is the land of the Incas. It was the capital of South America; it was where the Spanish founded their empire and took over the Inca Empire and made it into a colony of Spain. – Mario Testino
When I had photographed Prince William’s mother, I brought along a CD of Dalida, a French singer, that we played on set all day to relax everyone. I decided to do the same thing for Catherine and William. The contrast of the contemporary informal music playing in the beautiful rooms with so much history caused a lot of laughter. – Mario Testino
Oh my God, the graduate shows in London are so important! I still remember going to see John Galliano’s graduate collection – that was an event I’ll never forget. – Mario Testino
I’ve always had an affinity with women. It probably started with my mother when I was young, but it was intensified by my sister, Elena, who is one year older than me. I used to hang out with her all the time, and whenever I travelled, I used to buy her clothes and style her. – Mario Testino
There’s a particular style that is very Peru that you don’t see anywhere else; it’s got so many different imprints. When you mix Incan minimalism with the heavy, ornate Spanish Baroque, it is very interesting. – Mario Testino
At the end of the ’90s, I was very bored with the usual models, so I discovered a new generation that impressed me with their fresh look. I still keep working with models like Gisele Bundchen and Kate Moss, and I am still looking for new, interesting faces. Life is about discovery, and you should never stop searching. – Mario Testino
To me, the magic of photography, per se, is that you can capture an instant of a second that couldn’t exist before and couldn’t exist after. It’s almost like a cowboy that draws his gun. You draw a second before or after, you miss and you’re dead – not them. To me, photography’s always like that. – Mario Testino
Some of my friends say that I only talk about myself. But it is funny: my house is covered in art but with nothing of my own, and when I’m working, I’m only thinking about what the client wants. So I don’t see it that way, but maybe it’s true. I mean, they are my friends. – Mario Testino
I never notice a difference between photographing a man and a woman; for me, it’s just somebody. – Mario Testino
My favourite subjects at school were algebra and logic: making a big problem into something small. – Mario Testino
I’ve been criticised for pretty, smiley photographs, but at least someone is happy! In my mind, I am always giving the image to the sitter. – Mario Testino
In the South America of the forties and fifties, everyone was into beauty and glamour and fashion. – Mario Testino
However spontaneous I hope a photograph will look, I always put a lot of thought into how I can make it happen. The very best pictures are the most relaxed, so a lot of fussing around technically can completely break the spell, and everyone freezes up with nerves. – Mario Testino
A fashion photographer is nothing without clothes and hair and makeup. And when I speak to other photographers, a lot of them can’t reference a picture by the designer. Me, I say, ‘The Balenciaga.’ And I go to the shows. I feel like it’s my business. – Mario Testino
I’m really in no one city more than two months during the year. I’m constantly having to readapt my eye to new locations. – Mario Testino
Ultimately, I made my range wider because I wanted to suit each publication that I worked for. Talk about reinvention – I’m like the Madonna of photography. – Mario Testino
I adore being able to go to the Oscars and know every single person at the party afterwards. – Mario Testino
I have become aware on my travels that when a country loses the connection between its history and its traditional dress, something truly precious is lost. – Mario Testino
My original idea was to photograph Princess Diana in her tiara. But then I thought, am I interested in seeing another picture of her as a royal person, or would I rather see what she is actually about? And that’s why I decided to do her without jewels, without shoes, without trimmings. – Mario Testino
There are never any absolutes in the fashion business: one day you may like black, and the next day you like colour. I think it’s a good lesson that we should never believe too much in any one thing – because the next day it’s out, and if we’re stuck to it, we’re out, too. – Mario Testino
I do a lot of decision making before each shoot. It’s a luxury to be able to choose what you do. – Mario Testino
I studied law, economy, international relations, communications, in order to find what I would do. It’s the hardest thing, being 17 and trying to find what to do in life. You’ve explored so little. I’m lucky: My parents let me explore. – Mario Testino
I am trying to capture the women I photograph at their happiest. That is when they look their most beautiful. But I do understand that you have to make somebody feel completely comfortable in order to bring that out. – Mario Testino
You have to be you. You can’t be anybody else. If you speak loudly, and people tell you to speak quietly, you can do it for a little bit, but loud people are loud, and people who are not, are not. – Mario Testino
I am obsessed by people. Usually I try to get the girl out of the model instead of the model out of the girl. – Mario Testino