While Sophie Calle is primarily celebrated as a conceptual and performance artist, photography plays a central role in her work. She has used a variety of camera tools—sometimes with her own hands, sometimes commissioning professionals—to suit the conceptual needs of each project.
Here’s a breakdown:
35 mm Film Cameras (Personal Use & Surveillance)
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For work like Suite Vénitienne (1979), she followed a subject secretly through Venice using a 35 mm setup with a mirror attachment, allowing her to shoot discreetly around corners as a kind of “private eye”. Her camera was a Leica and the device a Squintar.
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| Squintar |
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Early on, her personal camera was unspecified, often tucked into bags or pockets—one she reportedly received from her father—and she used it intuitively without formal technique or gear preference.
She also mentions taking photographs with her phone.
Polaroid & Hired Fashion Cameramen
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For projects without interpersonal interaction—like photographing graves or objects—she’d take Polaroids to frame her vision, then hire a professional to reproduce them at higher quality .
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In portrait-style works (e.g., self-portraits), she sometimes commissioned fashion photographers, notably Jean-Baptiste Mondino, to execute the technical aspects.
Video & Still: Collaborative Crews
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In projects combining film and stills, such as Voir la mer (2011), she employed a director of photography, e.g., Caroline Champetier, indicating a deliberate, collaborative production.
What This Reveals About Her Practice
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Concept-first approach: Gear is secondary; technical precision is outsourced when needed.
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Versatility: She adapts medium and tools—35 mm, Polaroid, hired professionals—based on each artwork's conceptual orientation.
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Collaborative flexibility: She treats technical photography as one element of her artistic process, involving experts when the idea demands it.
Bottom Line
Sophie Calle isn’t defined by a specific camera or lens. Her art demands that the tool matches the idea—whether shooting covertly in Venice with a mirror-equipped 35 mm, framing Polaroids as creative previews, or enlisting professional talent for polished outputs. Gear, in her world, is a means to conceptual and narrative ends.