Tanchel, who describes his style as "aesthetic", started shooting professionally in 2001 and in the short space of five years has been published in a wide variety of the local major glossy magazines, as well as a selection of international journals - the likes of
Dazed & Confused,
Collezione, and
FHM UK, USA and Russia. He has shot campaigns for brands including Ford, Motorola, MTN, Levi's and Axe.
Suffice to say that while you may not be familiar with his name, you'd most likely recognise Tanchel's work.
The decision to move from still photography to directing is a logical one, according to Tanchel.
"It's the next step along my path," he says. "As much as I enjoy still photography and appreciate the career I've had in this arena, it can be quite limiting to focus on a single frame. I'm looking forward to the movement, the scope for unleashing your imagination that the moving picture allows."
That said, Tanchel will not be abandoning his photographic equipment nor consigning his skill for the still frame to the scrapheap. Instead, he will continue to work in stills while developing and honing his craft as a director, using the skills leant in each discipline to enhance and enrich the other.
What is so exciting about Steve's move into directing is that advertising agencies have a fresh, aesthetically-trained eye to turn to. New directors often approach the market with zealous film-making ideology that struggles to translate into the requirements of commercials. In contrast, Steve's advertising knowledge combined with his strong visual aesthetic and the launching pad of an established production company, will without a doubt yield some very interesting results!
