Best Fashion Photographers In The Industry | Top 10
The fashion industry is one difficult messy place, and even the best fashion photographers know this.
With fashion being so visually-focused, to become one of the world’s top photographers is not so easy. Their job is a difficult one, and not a lot of people know this.
No matter how good or bad a designer’s clothes look, the photographers have to make them look more than amazing when showcasing them in magazines.
And the best photographers in the fashion industry know exactly how to make everything look like a fantasy.
They are charging a lot of money for their fashion shoots, but the famous brands are willing to pay as much as they have to, because they are making billions of dollars based on their work.
So let’s see which are the best fashion photographers in the industry!
10.Mario Testino
We start our list with Mario Testino.
The Peruvian fashion photographer is one of the most respected photographers in the fashion industry. And it’s not for nothing.
His career highpoint came when he was chosen by Princess Diana to take her pictures for Vanity Fair magazine in 1997. He is still the number 1 choice of the Royal family when they need a luxurious photoshoot.
Testino has worked with some of the most famous models and celebrities, such as Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Gisele Bundchen, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Britney Spears, to name just a few.
The photographer has shot numerous covers for high-profile fashion magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair, and has worked at fashion campaigns for brands like Gucci, Burberry, Versace, and Calvin Klein.
After giving up his dream to becoming a priest, Mario Testino decided to become a photographer and dyed his hair pink, to be noticed.
In 2012 he had a huge successful show at The National Portrait Gallery in London titled Portraits.
Next: he had some very discussed images of heterosexual and homosexual couples ->
9.Bruce Weber
The next iconic fashion photographer is Bruce Weber.
The American fashion photographer has shot some of the most important Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Versace adds, and he has not stopped there.
Starting at GQ in the late 70s, Weber is known for his shoots for famous fashion magazines including Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Elle, and Interview.
Besides photography, Bruce Webes is an occasional filmmaker, making both short and longer films, and directing Let’s Get Lost, a documentary about jazz trumpeter Chet Baker.
His most famous works are the super sexy, homo-erotic catalogues for Abercrombie and Fitch during the 90’s, that featured black and white images of both heterosexual and homosexual couples.
You either love him or hate him ->
8.Terry Richardson
One of the best fashion photographers in the industry is Terry Richardson.
The American photographer is one of those guys which you either really love, or you either massively hate. There is no in between.
But your opinion doesn’t really matter, because his success can’t be denied, his name being almost synonymous with fashion photography. His style is very controversial, some saying he’s re-instilled rawness into fashion photography, some accusing him of taking it too far.
He has shot famous campaigns for Tom Ford, Diesel or YSL, and created editorials for GQ, Vogue, Dazed and Confused, Vanity Fair and Harper’s Bazaar. Even though his work is very sexual and with a lot of nudity implied, celebrities don’t really seem to care.
Former bass guitarist in a punk rock band, Richardson often invites celebrities over to his house to take their portraits, including Kate Moss, Kate Upton, Jonah Hill and Jared Leto.
He’s friends with Marc Jacobs and Vivienne Westwood! ->
7.Juergen Teller
Our next fashion photographer is famous Juergen Teller.
The German artist is known for his long-standing relationships with some major designers. Since 1998 Teller was the photographer of choice of all Marc Jacobs fashion campaigns, shooting famous celebs such as Winona Ryder, Sofia Coppola, Rufus Wainwright, M.I.A., and others.
Marc Jacobs is not the only designer Teller has a good relationship with, Helmut Lang and Vivienne Westwood being on the list as well.
The photographer’s pictures have that something that pops out. Maybe it’s because they are raw and over-exposed, maybe it’s the unusual colours, I am not sure, but there definitely is something that is one of a kind in his pictures.
Is he a better artist or a better photographer? Hard to tell, because he is amazing anyway! ->
6.Nick Knight
One of the top photographers in the fashion industry is Nick Knight.
A very artistic Nick Knight is amazing us all with his avant-garde works of art and cutting edge visual technology. Being know as both a photographer, and more important, an artist, Knight has a real talent, Wowing us all.
The photographer has worked with high profile brands such as Alexander McQueen, Jil Sander, Levi Strauss, Christian Dior, Audi and even Mercedes Benz, and shoot some videos for some of the more artistically expressive artists like Bjork and Lady Gaga.
Known for his art as well, Knight has been exhibited at famous institutions, including Victoria & Albert Museum, Saatchi Gallery, the Photographers Gallery and Hayward Gallery and the Tate Modern.
In 2000, he launched SHOWStudio.com, a site that promotes cutting edge fashion media, which had a huge impact on the fashion world.
#5 is best known for his American and Italian Vogue covers!
5.Steven Meisel
An important icon of the fashion industry is Steven Mesiel.
The American photographer is best known for his American and Italian Vogue covers, him being said to have a great relationship with the magazine’s editors, Anna Wintour and Franca Sozzani.
He also shot many fashion campaigns for brands such as Versace, Valentino, Dolce and Gabbana, Louis Vuitton, and others, and is know for boosting the careers of models like Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Amber Valetta, Lara Stone and Keren Elson.
Meisel has shot album covers for Mariah Carey and Madonna, working with Madonna for her Sex 1992 book as well.
He launched a lot of careers, not only of models, but of designers, stylists, make-up artists and hair-stylists as well, and we can only thank him for that!
He’s the one who took Kate Moss’ famous Calvin Klein photos ->
4.Mario Sorrenti
Our fourth best fashion photographer is Mario Sorrenti.
The Italian born photographer is best known for his nude models in the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.
Based in New York City, Sorrenti is also a director, with a lot of influence in the fashion and music industry.
He is the one to thank for for the sexy and iconic images of Kate Moss for the Calvin Klein Obsession perfume ads.
Sorrenti has shot several album covers, for singers such as Shakira ( her Fijación Oral Vol. 1) and soul singer Maxwell.
The photographer has shot Drake in 2013, for a covershoot in GQ magazine.
Real love in the fashion industry ->
3.Inez & Vinoodh
On the third place best fashion photographers in the industry we have couple Inez and Vinoodh.
If you think that working in a couple might be tricky to pull off, then it’s better to follow the example of Dutch couple Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin who have been working together since 1986, and they have been unstoppable ever since.
The couple has photographed editorials and cover shoots for magazines like Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, L’Uomo Vogue, Purple Fashion, Interview and V Magazine and created advertising campaigns for brands like Jean Paul Gaultier, Gucci, Chloe, Balenciaga and Yojhi Yamomoto, Chanel, Roberto Cavalli, Stella McCartney and Louis Vuitton.
Inez and Vinoodh surely have an amazing talent of reinventing fashion photography with their own personal style, winning many awards for their art.
Talk about mixing business with pleasure..
The best team of fashion photographers ->
2.Mert & Marcus
The second spot on the top 10 best fashion photographers goes to Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.
Their glossy, futuristic and sleek work has been very much appreciated, the team working for ad campaigns for some of the biggest fashion labels such as Missoni, Miu Miu, Roberto Cavalli, Gucci, Givenchy and Lancome.
Coming from very different angles of the fashion world (Mert was a photo modeler and Marcus was an assistant photographer), the duo’s work can be seen on glossy magazines such as LOVE Magazine, Vogue, Interview, Arena and more.
When talking about their team work, Alas said:
I really trust Marcus, and he trusts me a lot, so what happens is you have this great critic you trust on your left-hand side. I don’t know how most of my colleagues do it on their own.
And she is the winner of them all! ->
1.Annie Leibovitz
On number 1 we couldn’t have any other photographer than Annie Leibovitz.
A true photography icon, Leibovitz has taken some of the most important and timeless portraits, including a nude embrace shot of John Lennon and Yoko Ono for Rolling Stone magazine, the pregnant cover shot of Demi Moore for Vanity Fair, Lady Gaga for both Vogue and Vanity Fair, and President Barack Obama and the first family at the White House.
Leibovitz has also taken some very controversial portraits, including Miley Cyrus’ topless photo on the cover of Vanity Fair. At that time, Cyrus was considered too young and innocent for that kind of photos, but we all know she probably wasn’t. One of her most recent works is Kanye and Kim’s family portrait and the Les Misrables photos.
Annie Leibovitz photographed Queen Elizabeth II for her official Virginia state visit picture and merited her a place in the acclaimed PBS documentary series American Masters, aired in 2007.
So I guess she is indeed the top fashion photographer ever, isn’t she?
These were the Best Fashion Photographers In The Industry!
We know each and every single one of them has their own special way of taking photographs, but do you have a favourite?
Let us know in the comments below!
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