Following is an excerpt from a new interview with ShutterBLAST.net photographer / founder Audrey Dujardin, who has become an in-demand metal photographer on the European metal scene. Some of her most recent work includes the official promo shots for BLING GUIARDIAN's new album, At The Edge Of Time.:

Q: What bands / artists are consistently the best subjects – live or studio – where you could literally put one cheesy white light on them, dress them in garbage bags, and they’d still look like a million bucks thanks to the vibe / attitude / atmosphere they bring with them?

Dujardin: “That’s easy. DEATHSTARS come to mind first. They’re probably the sexiest band that ever lived, and honestly I wouldn’t mind getting stuck for two days in an elevator with them. They’re just so pretty you can do anything you want, they’re always going to come out all sparkle and sex-appeal. Another one who is hard to miss is Simone Simons of EPICA. She’s a natural beauty and I think you’d really have to try very hard to get a bad shot of her. Tomi Joutsen from AMORPHIS is also probably the most charismatic front man in the industry. Really. And if he’s on a stage, even better. The pictures exhale pure, mysterious virility, any day. Emilie Autumn is also another one who’s hard to miss; she’s just as charismatic as Tomi, minus the moustache.”

Q: This is a male dominated industry blah blah blah. You’ve been on the receiving end of that bullshit, but have you gotten to the point where your work speaks for yourself rather than people focusing only on the T’n' A behind the camera?

Dujardin: “God, you’re a real poet aren’t you? (laughs) Yes, I can positively say that nowadays, my glorious tits and ass are most definitely the last reason anyone would hire me. First, by now, everyone in the business knows I will laugh at you if you even try hitting on me, and second, people also know who it is that I work for and usually those people are their record label or the big magazines, so that gives me leverage if I need to tell them to shut the fuck up. But it’s not a secret that any girl, and even moreso a tall blonde with a French accent, needs to work ten times as hard than any guy to get respected as a professional in the music scene. But I understand the game. I knew what it would be like before I started and I’ve managed to get where I wanted to be because of recognized work, and that alone. I’m not really worried or troubled at this point. It’s very rare that people talk to me for the wrong reasons. It happens, and then I try to be the pro in the room and ignore it as much as possible. I don’t think the new chief editor of Metal Hammer would have asked me to shoot the cover of the first issue he was in charge of if he didn’t think I would be able to make the magazine sell. Furthermore, I’d never even met the people in such a big band as Blind Guardian in my life before they flew to Munich to work in my studio. They chose me based on my portfolio and nothing else.”

Go to this location for the complete interview. Check out ShutterBLAST.net here.