Seeing Red

Helen Berkun a/k/a Miss Red wears many hats.  She is a mother, a fashionista, a photographer and a stylist.  Read about what's on this hot mama's mind and see what she is up to next in the world of photography and beyond.

Ron Sager (Fluxcore): Why are you a photographer?

Helen Berkun: It's funny, I don't consider myself solely a photographer, I consider myself an "IMAGE MAKER". I put so much thought into everything from lighting, to set, to the clothes, the make-up, the hair and everything else that goes into making a beautiful photograph. I imagine the image, I paint it in my mind like any artist on a canvas. I started doing all of this when I was a little girl, just as young as I can remember. I've always had very visual, photographic memory. My grandfather painted and took self portraits, my father photographed and my mom and grandma would design clothes as I was growing up. It was just natural for me to be creative, to become an artist. I've always known I was going to do something in fashion, something in the arts. So when I went to high school and saw that they offered photography classes I took all the classes I could. I loved it, I was that weird little "fashion goth" girl that lived in the dark room. So I suppose that's how it all began...

Ron: Who are your major influences?  And why do they influence you?

Helen: There are so many influences that have touched me through different stages of my life. It of course began with my grandfather, I always thought that the self portraits he did, photographing himself in dual personalities were incredible. My first subject to photograph was myself, not the vanity factor...I just couldn't explain and get the emotion out of people that I could out of myself. I would photograph myself as different characters, and then in High School one of my teachers introduced me to Cindy Sherman's work and I couldn't believe it. I identified with her so much, I fell in love with her work. As I photographed more I began to fall in love with so many different images and photographers. David LaChapelle being one of them, the digital color popping images he produces just blow my mind. I'm a very big fan of his.

Ron: What is the one thing most people know about you?

Helen: That I'm a shoe and bag fanatic! I have over 300 pairs of shoes and probably over 100 bags.

Ron: What is the one thing most people don't know about you?

Helen: Nothing, I'm an open book. There is nothing that I'm not completely open about. Literally, you can ask me anything and I'll probably tell you more then I should :)

Ron: What qualities make a good photograph?

Helen: For me personally, composition, color and feeling. It has to arouse some sort of emotion from me. Even if it's a shallow emotion like "OMG I have to have those shoes"  it's still an emotion.

Ron: Why is fashion so essential in our society?

Helen: Because fashion is the symbol of change.

Ron: What are you most proud of?

Helen: Hands down being a mom. Not many people in my industry decide to have children. A lot chose their career first and I am proud to say I have both.

Ron: What would you like to be known for?

Helen: I'd like to be known for being an honest person. I think that's the most important thing in life. When you lie, you're not really fooling others, as much as you're fooling yourself. I like to think that I live a very open and honest life. So much of our business is about being fake and putting up a front. I'm not one of those people, I like to be brutally honest, when things are bad, I'll say it and when they are great I'll be just as honest about it.

Ron: What was the biggest project you have ever worked on?

Helen: That's a tough one, because I think all of my projects are big. I don't like to make a client feel less worthwhile because they're starting to make a name for themselves or because they have less money. Everyone deserves the same respect and that's very important to me. My business is able to grow only because I treat everyone equal. I don't buy in the whole "I've been doing this for ________ years!" We all have room to grow and we all start somewhere. I don't think I'll ever be "too good" to shoot or style something. Work is work and I'm very fortunate to be able to do what I love for a living. I know many people that can't say that.

Ron: What is next for you?

Helen: Well, I'm just about to style the American Girl Magazine and also have a few big shoots coming up with Cuddl Duds. Meanwhile I'm working for Sheridan Road Magazine and Forest & Bluff. So I'm certainly busy and I enjoy every minute of it.  I hope to do a couple of hosting gigs and of course, most importantly while juggling all of the work, my priority is to my little boy Natan.

Check out Helen's Blog at:
www.helenberkun.blogspot.com
and Helen's website at:
www.missred.net