Yvan Rodic has all the attributes of a budding documentarian. He knows exactly the right places and times to find his potential subjects. And the reality he creates for himself never fails to dazzle, bemuse, and enthrall his dedicated followers. Coming from the beautiful town of Vevey, Switzerland, Ivan has followed in the footsteps of another famous former Vevey resident, Switzerland’s first astronaut Claude Nicollier – except the stars Ivan searches to document walk among us.

As “The Facehunter,” for the past few years, he has been snapping the world’s most beautiful, striking, and stylistically appetizing young boys and girls and displaying them onto his blog. Unsurprisingly, his camera’s prolific output has garnered him an obsessive following, and it is quite a timely and wise move that Yvan is expanding his glamorous photography to moving image. On May 28th he brings us ‘The Facehunter Show’ to be aired on MySpaceTV. psychoPEDIA hunted Yvan down on the streets of East London and spoke to him about his worldwide style expeditions and his favorite places to relax while not picking off his inspirationally confident young prey.

Having not been educated formally as a photographer, was there any particular documentarian or photographer you looked at for inspiration when you begun as the Facehunter?
Not directly, but I am influenced by a lot by Rineke Dijkstra. I like her style because her portraits are somewhere between the spontaneous snapshot and forced poses. She captures very simply her subject’s expression.

How do you keep ahead of your average fashion/style bloggers?
I take pictures of interesting people who happen to express who they are through their clothes, but I don’t take pictures of just clothes. I try to create or set up a situation where the person is the star and the clothes are not. It’s about the charisma and character of the person– there lies the style. I could see someone in all designer clothes but they don’t look great. The person is the key, not just the pair of shoes.

If you take someone’s picture because of the character he or she exhumes, aren’t there times where you think, “I wish I had got to know that person more?”
Of course it happens, but every interaction has a different story. I don’t have time to get emotionally involved with every person I photograph. It would be silly. I get to know some people and keep in touch and see them again. There are people who have become my friends after I have photographed them. There is complete fusion between my social life and professional life, but I find it more interesting not to share the individual stories. It’s more radical just to have the photographs without words.

Does your TV show fit in with this idea then?
Somehow that will bring a more three-dimensional image of my trips. The most interesting thing is not just the photo, but also the process behind it. Each city I go to, there is all kinds of interactions and meetings. And it will be about that, not just fashion people but also all kinds of people.

What’s your favorite city to find your stars in?
The most exciting is Reykjavik, Iceland. I live in London, and I like it a lot– it has very specific crowd who’s very cool, and then average people who are not so much. But there is almost no mainstream average in Reykjavik. Even a banker will have his own style and clothes. It’s not just a “cool” neighborhood then “cool” people who look good. But it’s more random than that. It’s like everyone is a bit creative, and there’s a wildness. It’s surreal because it’s near the Arctic Circle and middle of nowhere. It’s a small city that produces something very strong. I am always excited before I go there.

Is it the best place for parties as well?
No, that would be Moscow. There’s this place called Krysha– it’s on a rooftop. It’s like a billionaire’s underground party. Moscow is the only place I know where there’s an intersection of rich super cool people and underground fashion people, where everyone has good taste.

Where do you always go back to, to eat, hang out and shop?
Moscow, again, at the Denis Simachev Bar– it’s a bar, a store and a club in one. It’s fantastic. Specifically, for shopping there’s a place in Stockholm, Sweden I like called Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair. It’s not just shoes but a clothing brand. It’s very black, minimalist, but quite experimental– very conceptual, and very Swedish.

And to relax?
My best memory was in Reykjavik, going to this public pool in the middle of the morning after a party, where it’s still dark because of their sunlight hours. It has different pools and hot tubs. It’s like a traditional place for old men to go and discuss issues and chat like a coffee house, but has something very cozy and healthy and relaxing about it.

Aesthetically your pictures remind me of a bird spotter’s guide. Do you have any specific rules to how your pictures should be shot or whom you shot on a particular day?
It’s not that organized. I don’t classify people. It’s a very subjective selection. I transform the reality. If I go to the city, I will take a picture of ten people who are amazing. But the large percentage don’t look anything like these people. It’s the same for parties, I have been to some bad parties, taken pictures of 4 amazing people and then, everyone thinks the party was amazing! It’s deforming reality. I don’t have the potential to document real life, I just want to share what is more inspiring. It’s the same when I find someone and I don’t just take their picture in that spot, but transport them somewhere to a different setting. I like to be on the edge of fiction and reality.

~Kevin Soar