A Huggy approach to photography
Icelandic photographer Huggy Ragnarsson found fame as a top model but is now firmly established behind the lens and looking for the photographers of tomorrow
Fresh from a spell on the judging panel of hit reality show Britain's Next Top Model, photographer and ex-model Huggy Ragnarsson is turning her attention to an exciting new search for Britain's next superstar photographer. Ragnarsson, a brand ambassador for Duracell's rechargeable range, and a panel of judges from Getty Images will spend the next four weeks sifting through thousands of competition entries, looking for a worthy winner. Coming from modest beginnings herself, Ragnarsson is all too aware of just how tough it can be to make your mark.
Having begun life in Iceland, she spent her early years living both there and her eventual childhood home, California. "I used to get teased a lot when I was at school," she remembers.
"My full name is Hugrun, pronounced 'hoo-run', but the other kids used to call me 'hug and run'. This upset me, until one day my teacher suggested that I take off the 'run' and put a 'gy' at the end of my name instead, making 'Huggy'. So that's how I've been known ever since."
Follow the etymological trail back to its Nordic roots and you'll find that Hugrun is actually rather charming. "There are two theories about my name," Ragnarsson continues. "Run is a symbol that means mystery, while 'hu' is a very old word for love. So one interpretation is that I'm a symbol of love. The other is that I'm a mystery of the mind — that's much more me!"
Her upbringing was quite traditional because her rather stern father kept a tight rein on his attractive daughter, especially when schoolyard teasing from boys turned into attention of a flirtatious kind. "Although we lived in America," she says, "I lived under 'Icelandic law'. We only spoke Icelandic at home and I wasn't allowed to date until I was 16 — it was so uncool!"
Nevertheless, nothing prevented her from following her dream of becoming a model (at 17), after being discovered by legendary agency boss Eileen Ford. "I'd always wanted to be a model, ever since I was 12," Ragnarsson says. "Of course, my mother said: 'Yeah, whatever', but I knew I'd do it."
Duracell photography competition
More than 30 years later, she's still living her dream, having bought a 400-year-old house in Hertfordshire and a puppy called Buffy. Because she's spent most of her life jetting around the globe, initially in front of the camera but more recently behind it, Ragnarsson is happy to have finally put down roots.
"I love Britain and always knew I'd end up living here," she says, with the Californian twang that's never left her. "London is one of the most exciting cities in the world.
"After I was scouted, I initially went to New York but left for Europe when I was 18. I went to Madrid, where I learnt Spanish, and from there I went to London, followed by Milan and Paris."
Over the next few years, she found herself in some amazing locations, rubbing shoulders with celebrities and working with the best photographers in the business. It was a strange scenario for a girl from Iceland, where the population is smaller than that of Manchester.
"I remember doing a Loewe catwalk show with Iman when I was starting out," she says. "She was the first real supermodel and I was totally in awe of her. I went up to her and said: 'Wow, you're the best'. I cringe when I think about it now, but I couldn't help myself."
As Ragnarsson's catwalk career skyrocketed, she went on to become an international star herself, but she was always more curious about life behind the lens. "I was fascinated by photography before I got into modelling.
"I used to study magazines like Vogue and Marie Claire; the power that you have as a photographer is immense — you can make or break someone." Eventually, her curiosity evolved into action and she began shooting photographs herself. "My interest in photography began solely with the models," she explains. "Having done some talent scouting, I started taking test shots for various agencies.
"The difference between my test shots and the ones that photographers were generally shooting at the time was that the photographers were simply using the girls as props to try out new lighting or colour setups. I was focussing solely on making the girls look their best."
A Ragnarsson portrait of athlete Denise Lewis
What began as an impromptu 'service' rapidly turned into a burgeoning career. One of her first professional jobs behind the lens was shooting Naomi Campbell for a British Red Cross campaign. "I was so nervous," she recalls. "As a photographer, it can take just one bad job to ruin your whole career. Get it wrong and you may never get another chance."
Having got it right, Ragnarsson's since gone on to work with the likes of Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer and David Beckham. However, she hasn't lost her passion for encouraging new talent and is now teaming up with Duracell in a search for Britain's hottest new photographers.
If you think you're one of them, the theme of the competition is how do you recharge your batteries? For some, this might be people-watching in the park; for others, it might be a football match, or simply lying in bed with their iPod on. Whatever inspires you is fair game as far as Ragnarsson and the judges from Getty Images are concerned.
One thing's certain, though: with each of the 10 runners-up getting a Canon digital camera, and the winner receiving a top-of-the-range Canon digital SLR camera and lens worth £1,500 and two photography experience days — one with Getty Images and one with The Independent — it's a prize well worth winning.
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