Montalbetti & Campbell: Collaborative Imagery

Denis Montalbetti and Gay Campbell are world-renowned for their photographs of a wide range of personalities, from political leaders to celebrities in both North American and Australia. They are also known for their stunning and distinctive style. Behance caught up with the pair to discuss their unique collaboration, their greatest frustrations, and words of wisdom for the broader creative professional community.
Montalbetti and Campbell heed Steven Covey's advice by beginning every project "with the end in mind." As Montalbetti explains it, "We tend to work on a project-by-project basis so it's not difficult to stay organized when focusing on a single outcome. We are careful about the jobs we take on so as to stay enthused, focused and devoted throughout, important factors in keeping our clients and ultimately us happy."

When asked about the greatest frustrations they face as creative professionals, the duo points to "the watering down of great creative." As they explain it, "The plethora of intellectual and visual mediocrity we are assaulted with today (is a great frustration). We do our best to overcome these challenges by continuing to draw from that inner well of inspiration...not compromising the integrity of our art for the commercial expectations of the industry at large. We make sure in every project there is an element that fulfills us, it must be about imagery. We're driven by imagery over financial gain. We have long believed, 'Do the work and the money will come.'"

It is no surprise that Montalbetti and Campbell swear by the power of collaboration. Time and time again, the pair has seen their teamwork enhance their imagery. And they use "teamwork" in reference to their partnership and "the broader team of those involved in the creative journey - the creative/art director, the talent, set designers, stylists, hair and makeup artists... We rely on the expertise of this creative team as a whole to bring images from the idea stage to the final printed image."

We pay serious attention to those flashes of inspiration we all get, 'Cosmic FedExes.'

Montalbetti and Campbell believe one of the keys to their collaboration is their friendship that started long ago as teenagers on a cross-country cycling trip. Even at an early age, they saw similar qualities in each other. Their cycling adventure tested them and created a resilient bond that still exists today. Such a rare longstanding collaboration between two artists, one man and one woman, has undoubtedly enhanced their work. They cite Plato's belief that "there is therefore no function is society which is peculiar to woman as woman or man as man: natural abilities are similarly distributed in each sex and it is natural for woman to share all occupations with men."

Montalbetti and Campbell agree with Albert Einstein that "Imagination is more important than knowledge." They are very focused on capturing these ideas and making use of them over time. The pair explains, "We pay serious attention to those flashes of inspiration we all get, 'Cosmic FedExes' as acclaimed visionary artist Alex Grey calls them. We keep a journal of these ideas. They are a priceless creative resource and we believe we receive them to act upon. Many of our most successful images have come from this source."

When asked for what advice they would share with the creative professional community, Montalbetti and Campbell turn to a few of their favorite quotes:

"Don't let the best you have done so far be the standard for the rest of your life." -Gustavus F. Swift (1839 - 1903)

"Seek not to follow in the masters' footsteps. Seek what the masters sought." -Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694)

"Never, never, never give up." -Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)