I arrived in Paris on 30 May 1972.
I stayed in a little hotel in Montmartre, 14 francs a night.
Just as my money was running out I got a small job – a beauty picture for Votre Beauté magazine with the art director Pierre Levallois.
My assistant that day was Michel Viard, who had been recommended to me by Sarah Moon.
I moved in with him and his friends in a cheap flat by the Gare de l’Est.
Thanks to him I had somewhere to stay whilst I kept looking for work.
I had the encouragement of Madame Latzarus, who was the booker at Marie Claire magazine.
She told me to visit the magazine as often as I could.
So I would visit Émile Laugier, the art director, and we would just sit around and chat.
The portfolio I showed in Paris was the idea of my agent in London, Leon Doffman.
He said just show them your 10 very best photos.
He was right.
In August, just when I decided I really had to return to London, I got a call from Claude Brouet the fashion editor.
My many visits to the magazine had paid off and I started what was to be a 20-year collaboration.
I also started to work for Vogue Paris with Francine Crescent and Jocelyn Kargere.
And sometimes back to London for Vogue UK.
Miami 1978
This was the year I discovered Miami.
It became my own secret garden.
I had all the streets, parks and little towns to myself.
Photographers would fly to Miami all the time, but they would just work in and around the hotels.
Outside on South Beach and other places it was considered too run-down, too rough.
Better to stay by the pool.
So I could just go anywhere – empty streets, parking lots, all those great motels (now gone).
No permits needed.
BOOK
Beyond Blonde
Steve Hiett
Essay bt Philippe Garner
Edited by Patrick Remy
Prestel (November 9, 2015)
Hardcover, 280 pages
English
ISBN-13: 978-3791381800
60€
http://stevehiett.fr
