Photographer Insider
Steven Meisel - New York City
Steven Meisel (born 1954) is an American fashion photographer, who obtained popular acclaim with his work in US and Italian Vogue and his photographs of friend Madonna in her 1992 book Sex. He is now considered one of the most successful fashion photographers in the industry, shooting regularly for both US and Italian Vogue, and lately W (also published by Condé Nast). As one of the most powerful photographers in the fashion industry, Meisel is credited with "discovering" or promoting the careers of many successful models, including top models Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Nadège du Bospertus, Christy Turlington, Kristen McMenamy, Amber Valletta, Snejana Onopka, Iris Strubegger, Lara Stone, Coco Rocha, Caroline Trentini, Liya Kebede, Elise Crombez, Karen Elson, Doutzen Kroes, and Raquel Zimmerman, propelling them to fame by regularly featuring them in Vogue and various campaigns, notably Prada, considered one of the most desired campaigns in the business. Meisel's influence and training seems to also extend past models. He used his influence among the fashion elite to create an issue of Vogue that would show only black models. The issue was released in July 2008 with the purpose of addressing the racism seen lately in fashion magazines, runways, and advertising campaigns. He also launched the career of Ross Van Der Heide, a young fashion designer, by showing Ross's artwork to Anna Sui. He launched the careers of many models and persuaded British model Karen Elson to shave her eyebrows off which earned her the nickname 'Le Freak' Meisel has been the force behind the careers of people he regularly used on his Vogue shoots; hairstylists Oribe Canales, Garren, Orlando Pita and Guido Palau, and make-up artists François Nars, Laura Mercier, Pat McGrath and the late Kevyn Aucoin owe some of their success to the photographer. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Meisel Nigel Baker - New York City
nigelbarker.tv
Nigel Barker has been a force for new ideas in the worlds of fashion, beauty and entertainment for the past 20 years. He is internationally renowned for his photography and his creative presence in all areas of the fashion, beauty and entertainment industries has been stylized by an array of fascinating projects. Nigel’s work has included commercials, spokesperson roles, books, photograph exhibitions, international editorial assignments and the creation of his own show, The Shot on VH1. As a filmmaker his projects have highlighted some of our world’s most pressing issues with documentaries such as Dreams Are Not Forgotten, which he directed and produced, earning the Film Heals award from the Manhattan Film Festival. Mr. Barker published his first and much anticipated book, Nigel Barker’s Beauty Equation, in 2010 which is being developed into a skincare and cosmetics lines designed to get women “Camera Ready.” After 17 seasons as the judge on the hit show, America’s Next Top Model, Barker is now the host on the Oxygen Network’s The Face, alongside Naomi Campbell, premiering its second season in March 2014. Barker's unique position as photographer, filmmaker, philanthropist, author and father has secured him highly visible spokesperson positions for prominent global brands including Avis, Microsoft, Sony, Crest White Strips, and Nine West. In 2010, Nigel appeared alongside Justin Timberlake and Peyton Manning in Sony's national ad campaign. He has also lent his personality to television and feature film cameos, as well as event hosting and presenting, including the 2007, 2008 and 2010 Emmys. Furthermore, Nigel has had cameo roles on several TV series including, Ugly Betty, The Young & The Restless, Privileged, Stylista, Style Her Famousas well as a cameo role in the feature film, Arthur (2011) with Jennifer Garner, Russell Brand, Nick Nolte and Helen Mirren. In 2013, Mr. Barker collaborated with SHUT Skateboards to create a unique skateboard, NB x SHUT, featuring his photography. He also launched a New York inspired fragrance collection with Demeter Fragrance Library. Nigel’s photography is also featured and ready for purchase on Art.com and Rock Paper Photo.com. As well as being an ambassador for the UN Foundation's Girl Up initiative he is a spokesperson and Ambassador for the Make A Wish Foundation,ASPCA, and The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Nigel Barker lives in New York City with his wife, Cristen, and their two children, Jack and Jasmine. nigelbarker.tv/bio Josef Hoflehner - Austria
josefhoflehner.com
Each of Hoflehner’s photographs achieves a perfection of composition that seems to defy the possibility that it could ever be seen any other way. Gripping in their ultimate solitude and the unexpected natural beauty they capture, Hoflehner's photographs take his earthly subject matter to raise it to an almost mythical level, defining the essence of the place. In these rare and elusive moments, the natural and the man made are brought together in a poetic interplay of light and shadow, emptiness and structure. Josef Hoflehner is represented by leading photography art galleries. Hoflehner’s exquisite silver gelatin prints are found in a constantly growing number of public, private and corporate collections around the globe; notable collections include Polo Ralph Lauren, AT&T, Fidelity Investments, French banking giant Societe Generale and GAP/Banana Republic. Josef has exhibited worldwide, he was voted Nature Photographer of the Year 2007 and is set to release the fourteenth monograph of his work in Fall 2012. facebook.com/pages/Josef-Hoflehner/56892474757?id=56892474757&sk=info Greg Gorman - Los Angeles, CA, USA
gormanphotography.com
Acclaimed photographer Greg Gorman is a premier figure in modern photography. If representing the human form is an art, then Gorman is certainly a master. We won’t bother listing all the famous faces who’ve paused before his lens; suffice to say that Gorman has probably photographed most everyone you’ve seen on the silver screen. His who’s-who clientele isn’t the most fascinating thing about Gorman, anyway. Neither is his amazing studio tucked among the gold-paved avenues of Beverly Hills. It’s what got him there, what keeps him there, his dedication as a constantly evolving artist to set his own creative terms. “My work started to acknowledge certain traits…while leaving the rest in mystery,” says Gorman. “I dissected each person’s face individually with different techniques,” such as lighting, camera angle, the focal range of various lenses. “You can always hang a light over someone’s head and get an image that looks like the person. To me, the more interesting images are ones that leave something to the imagination.” The common denominator, of course, is that Gorman’s muse continues to guide him to the human form. What he does each time he arrives is what defines him as a true artist of his generation. ppmag.com/articles/2/Greg-Gorman-The-evolution-of-an-artist.php Alexia Sinclair - Sydney, Australia
alexiasinclair.com
Alexia Sinclair is an award winning Australian Artist and Photographer. Her distinct style is easily recognisable and highly original. Using a visual narrative to seduce her audience with each photographic feast, Sinclair’s art is dark and seductive, baroque and symbolic. Her multilayered photographs subtly present contemporary notions of fashion and beauty through innovative digital media, whilst restoring antique notions of classicism, elegance and luxury. Sinclair is an artist who skilfully walks the tightrope that divides the worlds of Fine Art and Commercial Art. Whilst her evocative Fine Art imagery adorns the walls of museums and is held in important art collections, she often translates these skills and signature style into highly polished campaigns in the commercial arena for clients such as Harpers Bazaar and Canon Australia. Motivated by her love and devotion for all things intricate and unusual, this versatile creative uniquely approaches her creative production by filling all of the roles, from designing sets and props, to makeup and costumes. Sinclair travels the world photographing locations and models and works in post production constructing imagined worlds through the combination of her photographs and hand illustrations. alexiasinclair.com/about Kristian Schuller - Paris, France
kristianschuller.com
For fashion photographer Kristian Schuller, art imitates life. He embraces each with a high-energy approach: Everything epic, all the time. Based in Berlin, he has worked in Paris the last four years, and at this very moment, he's settling into a new SoHo apartment. He has relocated to New York City in an effort to take his career to even greater heights, though he has never let the caliber of the client impact his vision. In his fashion work for magazines like Elle, French Revue, Vogue and others, Kristian Schuller strives to create images that are extreme. He says, "For magazines, from the beginning, I try to push to do something extreme, something crazy, something over the top, bigger than life, blow your mind away. I want people to say, wow, that's amazing, that's crazy!" Schuller has brought his trademark energy and flair for theatrical imagery to work with supermodels and Hollywood stars, including Penelope Cruz. digitalphotopro.com/profiles/kristian-schuller-master-of-epic-fashion.html |
David Fleet - England
davidfleetphotography.com
Originally from Kent in south east England, David spent much of his childhood in the Midlands. David studied Law at University in Sheffield from 2003 – 2006 and then travelled the World for a year, visiting South Africa, Argentina, Peru, USA, Canada, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia and The Philippines. Inspired by photographing his travels and wanting to capture better images David entered an intense period of self-study which continues to this day. Artist Statement I draw on the influence of past master photographers and artists in order to try and achieve compositions that allow viewers to connect with my subjects. My aim is to create fine art photographs that offer both technical excellence and aesthetic satisfaction. To offer only one element is not enough, the two must be combined to create a true fine art photograph. The Creation I use a variety of both film and digital equipment to create my vision. I use the best tools at my disposal in order to help me realise the image in my minds eye. Whether I am shooting with a digital SLR or my 4×5″ view camera I use exacting technique to ensure that I capture a file with the finest details and critical focus that I require. Image capture is just one stage in the creation of an artwork. Much preparation goes into each shot, from scouting locations and planning for the correct light through to post processing work and creating the final print, every detail is precisely controlled along the way. I believe in creating the highest possible quality art and to do so I use professional image editing software to enhance the original digital capture. The computer is my darkroom and this is where I play with contrast, colour and hue to create the image that I envisioned when capturing the moment. Film negatives are processed by the very best lab in the country and scanned to create a digital file which enables me to use the same tools to bring the very best out of the file. The final aim of my work is to create a fine art print that shows all the subtlety and tonal range that my eye witnessed but it also represents the way that the scene made me respond emotionally. My wish is to create a piece of art that is truly unique, emotional and beautiful. If you were to stand in my shoes you would be unable to replicate exactly what I saw at that moment in time but through my images I aim to take you there. davidfleetphotography.com/biography Peter Lik - Las Vegas
lik.com
Peter Lik stands at the summit of landscape photography. World-renowned, highly awarded, and boasting a huge international following, Lik's journey had humble origins. Born in Melbourne, Australia, to Czech immigrants, it was his parents' gift of a Kodak Brownie camera on his eighth birthday that set young Peter's course. Entirely self-taught, Lik worked hard at his craft before making a life-changing decision: to come to the United States in 1984. A defining moment in Lik's life came when he was introduced to the medium format panoramic camera. This larger-than-life camera compelled Peter to rise to its challenge to "Go big or go home." Lik did both. He returned to Australia to photograph the vastness of the Great South Land. Peter then went on to open his own fine art publishing company as well as his first gallery in his adopted hometown of Cairns. He returned to the States in 1989 for another jaunt before undertaking a mammoth trip early in the new millennium to photograph landscapes of all 50 states. Fifty thousand miles and 1,000 rolls of film later, the "biggest challenge of my life" was completed. Highlights of Peter's American odyssey can be found in his book "Spirit of America." Lik's stature as a photographer has been indisputably confirmed with his receipt of the award of Master Photographer from both the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) and the Professional Photographers of America (PPA). He has also been awarded fellowships by the British Institute of Professional Photographers (BIPP) and The Royal Photographic Society (RPS). He has sold hundreds of millions of dollars of his artwork, has 13 galleries of his own and counts presidents and celebrities among his many collectors. Exposure from his NBC produced TV series, "From the Edge with Peter Lik", has established Lik as a household name. Two more landmarks for Lik were the world record sale of his photograph "One," for $1 million and the exhibition of two of his iconic images, "Ghost" and "Inner Peace," in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. Lik's masterworks include "Ancient Spirit," "Sacred Sunrise," "Angel's Heart," "Tree of Life" and the highly acclaimed "Ghost." Each Limited Edition release is greeted with great enthusiasm by collectors and this has been reflected in recent record-breaking sales. Now at the top of his game, Peter Lik is "loving it!" at full throttle and the animated Aussie is showing no signs of slowing down. lik.com/theartist/biography.html Charlie Waite - United Kingdom
charliewaite.com
Charlie Waite is firmly established as one of the world’s leading Landscape photographers. His photographic style is often considered to be unique, in that his photographs convey an almost spiritual quality of serenity and calm. Charlie's photographs are held in private and corporate collections throughout the world, and he has held numerous solo exhibitions at prestigious venues in the UK, Japan and the USA. With over 30 books to his name, Charlie's images are recognized around the world. Charlie was recently featured in Amateur Photographer Magazine's series Icons of Modern Photography, and his images have received wide critical acclaim over many years. A recent article in Royal West of England Academy Art Magazine featuring Charlie's work commented “Waite’s landscapes are rare perfections of light, color and composition, and offer the viewer a luxuriant portrait of a planet at peace”. In 2000 Charlie was awarded the prestigious honorary fellowship to the British Institute of Professional Photographers and in early 2007 was presented with Amateur Photography’s Power of Photography Award, which is given to a photographer whose work is deemed to effectively demonstrate the powerful and memorable images of which photography is capable. Also a sought after writer, public speaker and television presenter, Charlie has featured in numerous photographic and broadsheet publications, DVDs and television programs on photography. charliewaite.com/about Lee Jeffries - United Kingdom
leejeffries.500px.com
Impressive black and white portraits full of emotion by Lee Jeffries. “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.” paranoias.org/2011/07/lee-jeffries-photography Noval Nugraha - Sydney, Australia
500px.com/Noval
Browsing through these Noval Nugraha photographs, you’d expect them to be digitally manipulated or of some other world besides Earth. However, Nugraha, a Sydney-based photographer, simply has a knack for capturing his adopted Australian home in as many prismatic colors as possible. Landscapes seem to color themselves in rainbow-like hues whenever Nugraha’s around, and the talented image maker is able to capture the world in its most beautiful light. All the proof you need can be found in this gallery you’re currently enjoying. Noval Nugraha is a native of Indonesia, but has resided in Australia for the past 14 years. It is there that he discovered his passion for photography and has now dedicated his life to capturing landscapes and seascapes in a manner that only he knows how. trendhunter.com/trends/noval-nugraha Pierre Carreau - Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy, France
pierrecarreau.com
For Carreau, the action of waves reveals a unique visual phenomenon conveying a sense of the paradox of power and fragility that exists therein. As Carreau's describes the goal of his work, it is to "transfer the waves' energy to those who view them." The images often evoke a range a emotions depending on the state of mind and perspective of the viewer, from the exhilaration familiar to surfers to the meditative calm we feel in moments of peaceful introspection. What is remarkable about the AquaViva is the interplay between concealment and revelation in each work. An arch of water that appears to be rendered in shades of gray in fact contains a flurry of polychromatic elements, reflections that become apparent on closer inspection. "Water is amazing," Carreau explains. "Basically it has no color, but through reflection and refraction it can possess all of them, the entire spectrum of light." The reality of these moments of exquisite beauty and emotion existing before our eyes, not invisible yet unperceivable to us, lies at the heart of Carreau’s artistic intention. In this relationship, the photographer and camera act as a conduit carrying the emotional impact from the element of water itself to the evolved perception of the viewer, whose very existence is an extension of the subject. pierrecarreau.com/#!about/c10fk Brian Skerry - Boston, Massachusetts, USA
brianskerry.com
Brian Skerry is a photojournalist specializing in marine wildlife and underwater environments. Since 1998 he has been a contract photographer for National Geographic Magazine covering a wide range of subjects and stories. An award-winning photographer, Brian is praised worldwide for his aesthetic sense as well as his journalistic drive for relevance. His uniquely-creative images tell stories that not only celebrate the mystery and beauty of the sea, but also help bring attention to the large number of issues that endanger our oceans and its inhabitants. Unique within the field of underwater photography is Brian’s ability to pursue subjects of great diversity. His year round assignment schedule frequently finds himself in environments of extreme contrast from tropical coral reefs to diving beneath polar ice. While on assignment he has lived on the bottom of the sea, spent months aboard fishing boats and traveled in everything from snowmobiles to canoes to the Goodyear Blimp. brianskerry.com/bio |