Famous Fashion Photographers

Photography

Submission

By

Aaliya Gujral

FSID – Section A

Level 1

Fashion Photography

• The thing with the fashion world is that it’s such a visual and visceral industry.

• No matter how talented a designer can be at sewing or stitching fabrics together, the end result always has to “look” good. The technique and attention to detail might be flawless, but if it doesn’t jump out to the consumer from a magazine page or catalog, it‘s really all for naught.

• For this reason, photographers who shoot fashion campaigns and high-end fashion magazine editorials are treasured commodities in fashion.

• It’s true – a lot of these brands are selling a fantasy, but it’s one that translates into billions of dollars when all is said and done.

• Following is a list of the top fashion photographers who create the alluring and stylish images that keep the fashion industry thriving from season to season.

Mario Testino• Mario Testino (was born on October 30, 1954) is a Peruvian fashion photographer.

• When it comes to the most respected fashion photographers in the world, Mario Testino is certainly at the top of the heap.

• He has shot numerous magazine covers for high-profile glossies like Vogue and Vanity Fair, and when it comes to the top models in the fashion world, it’s fair to say that he has probably shot them all – Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen.

• He has also captured countless other celebrities like – Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Britney Spears, to name a few.

• In addition to that, he has also shot alluring fashion campaigns for global fashion brands like Gucci, Burberry, Versace, and Calvin Klein.

• Testoni also has another impressive feather in his cap. He is the photographer of choice whenever the Royal family of England chooses to be profiled in a luxury publication. He shot Princess Diana for Vanity Fair magazine in 1997, and he has photographed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Prince Harry and Kate Middleton.

• Born in Peru, the 59-yr-old Testino actually studied economics in college before he found his true calling.

• Today he is best known for his highly polished, exotically bright ad campaigns and his exquisitely styled photographs of the couture scene all of which carry a deceptive air of nonchalance.

Steven Meisel• Steven Meisel (born 1954) is an American fashion photographer, who

obtained popularity and critical acclaim with his work in US and Italian Vogue and his photographs of friend Madonna in her 1992 book Sex.

• One of the most iconic fashion photographers of all time, Steven Meiseleasily remains the one photographer with whom all the models aspire towork.

• Has photographed every cover of Vogue Italia since 1988.

• Meisel often creates layouts which are controversial, by juxtaposing fashionand politics and/or social standards. For example, in the September 2006issue of Vogue Italia', Meisel played with the concept of restricted libertiespost-September 11 America, with the models portraying terrorists and highlytrained policemen.

• It caused a stir in the press, as the models were presented in violentcompositions where they could be seen as being victimized. It also elicited anegative response from feminists which saw the role of the women as beingundermined by their male counterparts.

• The July 2008 issue of Vogue Italia featured only black models, and wasentirely photographed by Meisel. It was a response to increasing criticism ofracism in the fashion industry and became the best-selling issue in themagazine's history.

Richard Avedon• Born

• May 15, 1923New York City, New York, U.S.

• Died - October 1, 2004 (aged 81) , San Antonio, Texas, U.S.

• Alma mater - The New School for Social Research

• Known for - Photography

• Spouse(s) - Dorcas Marie "Doe" (Nowell) Avedon (m. 1944; div. 1949) , Evelyn Franklin (m. 1951)

• Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American fashion and portrait photographer.

• An obituary published in The New York Times said that "his fashion and portrait photographs helped define America's image of style, beauty and culture for the last half-century".

• His portraits are easily distinguished by their minimalist style, where the person is looking squarely in the camera, posed in front of a sheer white background. By eliminating the use of soft lights and props, Avedon was able to focus on the inner worlds of his subjects evoking emotions and reactions.

• He would at times evoke reactions from his portrait subjects by guiding them into uncomfortable areas of discussion or asking them psychologically probing questions. Through these means he would produce images revealing aspects of his subject's character and personality that were not typically captured by others.

• He is also distinguished by his large prints, sometimes measuring over three feet in height.

• His large-format portrait work of drifters, miners, cowboys and others from the western United States became a best-selling book and traveling exhibit entitled In the American West, and is regarded as an important hallmark in 20th century portrait photography, and by some as Avedon's magnum opus.

Annie Leibovitz

• Annie Leibovitz is a famous American portrait photographer.

• She was born on October 2, 1949, in Waterbury, Connecticut.

• While studying painting at the San Francisco Art Institute, she took nightclasses in photography, and in 1970, she began doing work for RollingStone magazine.

• She became Rolling Stone’s chief photographer in 1973.

• By the time she left the magazine, 10 years later, she had shot 142covers.

• In 1983, she joined the staff at Vanity Fair, and in 1998, she also beganworking for Vogue.

• In addition to her magazine editorial work, Leibovitz has createdinfluential advertising campaigns for American Express and the Gap.

Bruce Weber

• Bruce Weber is an American fashion photographer and occasional filmmaker.

• He is most widely known for his ad campaigns for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Pirelli, Abercrombie & Fitch, Revlon, and Gianni Versace, as well as his work for Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Elle, Life, Interview, and Rolling Stone magazines.

• Born in Greensburg Pennsylvania, Bruce Weber is another well-respectedphotographer with all kinds of amazing accolades to his name.

• Weber has shot for the top-tier of fashion publications including Vanity Fair,Vogue, GQ and Interview magazines.

• He has also been the man behind the camera for fashion campaigns for brandslike Calvin Klein, Revlon, Versace and Ralph Lauren.

• However what Bruce Weber is mostly known for is ultra-sexy, and largely homo-erotic catalogs he created for Ohio-based contemporary brand, Abercrombieand Fitch during the 90’s.

• These A&F catalogs were so racy that at some malls across America, kids had toshow ID before being able to purchase then. Even well into his sixties, BruceWeber continues to score top profile jobs.

• He recently shot Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal for the latest cover of NYC-based luxury magazine, Man of the World.

Nick knight

• Nick Knight is perhaps the one photographer in this piece that has art credentials that almost exceed his fashion world accomplishments.

• Knight exists in the realm of the avant-garde and his images are often the product of cutting edge visual technology that result in images that spark and wow the imagination.

• He has worked with a slew of high-profile brands including Alexander McQueen, Jill Sander, Levi Strauss, Christian Dior, Audi and even Mercedes Benz.

• He is also really skilled in shooting video as well. To date he has shot music videos for artistically expressive artists like Bjork and Lady Gaga.

• Most recently Nick Knight was also the director behind the video for “Bound 2” by Kanye West that featured an apparently topless Kim Kardashian on a motorcycle with the Chicago rapper.

Steve Mccurry

• Steve McCurry was born on February 24, 1950 in Pennsylvania, attended Penn State University. Steve McCurry (born February 24, 1950) is an American photojournalist best known for his photograph, "Afghan Girl" that originally appeared in National Geographic magazine.

• He originally planned to study cinematography and filmmaking, but ended up getting a degree in theater arts and graduating in 1974.

• He became interested in photography when he started taking pictures for the Penn State newspaper The Daily Collegian.

• After working at Today's Post in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania for two years, he left for India to freelance. It was here that McCurry learned to watch and wait on life.

• “If you wait,” he realized, “people will forget your camera and the soul will drift up into view.”

• Steve McCurry is famous for his photo ‘Afghan girl,’ taken in a refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan. This photo was named the most recognized photo of National Geographic.

Timothy Hogan

• Timothy Hogan is an award-winning luxury goods and still life photographer and director working in New York, Los Angeles, and London.

• Timothy Hogan’s driven self-motivation keeps him on his own two feet.

• As a photographer, director, cinematographer, and avid surfer, he is a jack of all trades, working with global clients on everything but the kitchen sink – from still life, to film, to fashion.

• He recently produced a collection of photos entitled, “The FIN Project” that merges his love for still life and an obsession with surfing with the goal of exposing “the shape of the wave… and the way a quarter of an inch can make a dog into a ‘magic’ board.”

• Few photographers have chronicled surfboard fins, and Hogan has breached the topic, with a mix of modern and old architecture – some wood, some color, each one with its own distinct aura.

• The photos remind us of how the simplicity of objects can become in their own way, beautiful masterpieces.

Lee Jeffries• His collection of black and white portraits of homeless people is unique and

stunning. He depicts a glimpse of hope in the eyes of his subjects. Simply touching…

• Lee Jeffries lives in Manchester in the United Kingdom. Close to the professional football circle, this artist starts to photograph sporting events.

• A chance meeting with a young homeless girl in the streets of London changes his artistic approach forever.

• Lee Jeffries recalls that, initially, he had stolen a photo from this young homeless girl huddled in a sleeping bag.

• The photographer knew that the young girl had noticed him but his first reaction was to leave.

• He says that something made him stay and go and discuss with the homeless girl. His perception about the homeless completely changes. They become the subject of his art.

• The models in his photographs are homeless people that he has met in Europe and in the United States: «Situations arose, and I made an effort to learn to get to know each of the subjects before asking their permission to do their portrait.»

• From then onwards, his photographs portray his convictions and his compassion to the world.

Ansel Adams

• Born

• Ansel Easton AdamsFebruary 20, 1902San Francisco, California, US

• Died - April 22, 1984 (aged 82) , Monterey, California

• Spouse(s) - Virginia Rose Best

• Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American photographer and environmentalist. His black-and-white landscape photographs of the American West, especially Yosemite National Park, have been widely reproduced on calendars, posters, and books.

• With Fred Archer, Adams developed the Zone System as a way to determine proper exposure and adjust the contrast of the final print. The resulting clarity and depth characterized his photographs. Adams primarily used large-format cameras because their high resolution helped ensure sharpness in his images.

• Adams founded the photography Group f/64 along with fellow photographers Willard Van Dyke and Edward Weston.

Thank You!