A Conversation with Marie Bärsch
Marie
Bärsch
Clean, effortless beauty aesthetics paired with exotic locations. From Cape Town to Dubai, Mumbai to Germany — a conversation with one of the most inspiring photographers in the field.
What inspires you, Marie?
I think what inspires me the most are different locations and countries. I love to shoot on location and most of the time I just need to see a great place to shoot and I instantly know how the styling or hair and make-up should look to get a great picture.
Also Instagram is very inspiring sometimes. There are so many creative people out there.
"I just need to see a great place to shoot and I instantly know how the styling or hair and make-up should look to get a great picture."
Most memorable shoot so far?
For me my shoot for Women's Health was the best job so far. I had the chance to work with some of the most beautiful girls in Cape Town and even though I had the worst toothache ever that day, the pictures turned out amazing and we had a lot of fun.
Dream project for you?
My dream is to shoot with elephants. I don't know why but I just love elephants. I don't have a dream location because there are so many beautiful places out there.
"My dream is to shoot with elephants. I don't have a dream location because there are so many beautiful places out there."
Most interesting response to your work so far?
Well, there was one model who randomly bowed down in front of me just because I told her who I am. It was weird but cute.
Any social media handles or accounts you follow?
There are a lot! I love scrolling through Instagram and checking all the travel, interior design and food pictures. I love Instagram!
Born in Germany in 1986, Marie started her career in her late teens more or less by accident — picking up a friend's camera and just starting to shoot. Evolving from a hobby to a professional career in 2013, her passion for photography has taken her across the globe to cities well known in the fashion and beauty industry: Los Angeles, Dubai, Miami, Cape Town and Mumbai.
Marie's unique style evolves around clean, effortless beauty aesthetics paired with exotic locations — picturing beautiful bodies and faces. Her client list includes MAC Cosmetics, Nikon, Guess, Eucerin, Nescafé, Hansaplast, ProFoto, Bauerfeind and Amazon, and her work has appeared in Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Condé Nast Traveller, Tatler, Women's Health and Vanity Fair, among others.
All photographs appearing on this site are the exclusive property of Marie Bärsch and are protected under international copyright laws. Marie Bärsch owns the copyright to all works published on this site.
Leila Antakly first met Marie Bärsch while serving as Director at Wilhelmina Dubai, where she built a first-of-its-kind division representing not just models but photographers, stylists, videographers and make-up artists — raising standards in the region to be comparable to London, Paris and New York. Having worked with some of the top casting agencies, photographers, agents and talent in the world, the connection with Marie was immediate: a shared belief in professionalism, beauty and the power of a great location.
Antakly Projects — originally Ninu Nina — has been featuring and archiving conversations with the most inspiring talent in fashion, photography, art and culture since 2003. Search our archive for fashion, designers, photographers and more — and learn more about some of the most inspiring talent in the world.
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The world is full of beautiful places. Keep shooting. ✦
And for the personal rants on life, opinions you didn't ask for, and the occasional existential spiral: follow me on Substack.
