How to be fun

Fashion photographer Rory DCS is using his lens for good. The 27-year-old has held court on the subjects of visual communications, fashion journalism, fashion film and fashion photography, as well as lecturing at the London College of Fashion, Central Saint Martins and Conde Nast College for the past eight years (yep, that's before he even graduated) and he's now spreading his wisdom even further. Taking the self-help book to the next level, the London image-maker is about to release Visual Self-Help Vol-1: How to be Fun. Containing pearlers such as “Don’t be the problem (Being the solution is fun)”, and “Diets do not include chocolate (Cutting out foods that you enjoy is just not fun)” DCS’s new book is a super-fun, lighthearted take on the 'guide' book – with a stack of beautiful imagery to illustrate it. Below, we caught up with him ahead of the book's launch to find out more.

What was behind your decision to make this book?

Rory DCS: Having spent the past eight years as a university lecturer, I found that teaching materials, self-helps and academic writings were filled with lots of aesthetically unpleasant books and often lacked a sense of humour. Visual Self-Help is an attempt to rectify that using (I hope) nice photos and (again, I hope) laugh out loud statements.

What is it that drew you to only document women?

Rory DCS: For me photographs are used to illustrate ideas – pictures and words are just tools to communicate concepts and we use the tools that we are used to, coming from a background in women's fashion it was natural for me to use women as my visual language. Saying that, ultimately I just take awful pictures of men. Aesthetically I gravitate towards females.

Will there be more volumes? What else do you want to teach us?

Rory DCS: Lots more volumes. I'm getting the ball rolling with some light hearted self-helps and am looking to progress over to more academic subjects, so basically everything from snogging to post modern theory.

Where were the images shot?

Rory DCS: Australia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Shanghai, Wales, Essex, Italy, Southern France, West London - it's been fun.

Is there one piece of advice in there that's particularly important for you?

Rory DCS: Go big or go home!

What's your ultimate idea of 'fun'?

Rory DCS: Anything that combines holidays, parties and sunshine.

Visual Self-Help Vol-1: How to be Fun is available now at Bookmarc London