In von Unwerth’s cinematic book Revenge (2003), which the photographer calls a “photonovela,” three girls visit a baroness’s château for what they think will be a carefree weekend, but ends up being an adventure into sadomasochism and sexual obsession. Von Unwerth shot it during summertime at a castle named Le Domaine de Rouilly le Bas in Guérard, France.
“[Peaches] is really one of my favorite pictures,” von Unwerth said of the image, with three models perched on a sidewalk eating peaches, partially exposed below their dresses. Shooting personal work “can be much more free, it can be much more adventurous, it can be more provocative” than commercial assignments, von Unwerth said. Though as her career progressed, she found that many clients began to offer her similar creative control.
Von Unwerth’s color imagery is also provocative, but she finds a particular sense of liberation in black-and-white photography. “To be honest, I have always loved to shoot in black-and-white whenever I can,” she said. “I just think it has more emotion, and it’s timeless, and it just fits better with my pictures.”