Fashion photographers at Photo London
Photo London touched down in Somerset House in May, with works by some of the greatest fashion photographers of all time
Rankin
The erstwhile enfant terrible of British photography John Rankin Waddell, better known by the moniker Rankin, rose to celebrity through his sultry, epoch-making photographs of the 90s. He cemented his cult status through his co-founding of the seminal counter-culture and fashion magazine Dazed and Confused. His work, presented by the Milan-based gallery 29 Arts in Progress, offers a softer side to the ex-party boy, capturing the model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in listless poses throughout a ghostly circus-themed sequence.
Harley Weir
There’s a noticable lack of representation of female fashion photographers in the fair this year, so we were glad to see work (albeit just the one) by British photographer Harley Weir. By the time she was 27, the Central St Martins graduate had already established a magnanimous influence on the fashion industry with campaigns for Balenciaga, Céline, and Stella McCartney. The single work on show is taken from a Missoni campaign which showcases Weir's ability to reimagine the human form and create images bursting with tactile sensuousness.
Tim Walker
British photographer Tim Walker’s exquisite dreamscapes and idiosyncratic fairy-tales have entranced imaginations worldwide ever since he shot his very first fashion story for Vogue at the age at 25. This pearlescent portrait whets our appetites for his upcoming retrospective in the V&A in September.
Miles Aldridge
Pills, perms, plastic – who doesn't delight in the frisson of colour and anxiety when gazing upon the suburban snapshots of fashion photographer and artist Miles Aldridge. Known for choosing conventionally beautiful models, he captures their dead-pan expressions in archetypal housewife roles, conveying a stifling Betty Friedan-esque sense of domesticity.
Emma Summerton
Australian born photographer Emma Summerton is one of the leading photographers working in fashion editorials today with a prolific portfolio across Vogue (British, Italia, American), W Magazine, i-D, and Dazed & Confused. Summerton's highly-charged compositions often experiment with unconventional angles to create a sense of narrative and mystery.
Nick Knight
One of the most influential photographers of our time, the visionary British photographer Nick Knight needs little introduction. Knight brings the fantastical theatre of his mind to life through sumptuous, sculptural and almost extra-terrestrial works. As well as historic creative collaborations with the likes of Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Christian Dior, his elevation of fashion photography to the lofty heights of high art has been cemented through exhibitions in the V&A, Saatchi Gallery and Tate Modern. Seek out this ethereal image of model Ming Xi wearing a Chanel Haute Couture gown.
Helmut Newton
It can be hard to describe just how much influence Helmut Newton held and holds today in the realm of fashion. His provocative, highly erotic black and white photographs of women shocked and awed with their overt sexual suggestiveness and mastery of chiaroscuro lighting. Palm Beach gallery Holden Luntz has an impressive spread of the German-Australian photographer's arresting nudes.
Horst P. Horst
One of the pre-eminent fashion photographers of the 20th century, Horst P. Horst pioneered the use of photography in fashion editorials when he joined Vogue in 1931. His cinematic, illusory black and white photographs are often associated with the Surrealist movement of the period.
Herb Ritts
Herb Ritts didn’t just photograph culture, he created it. Ritts is known for documenting some of the most famous figures of the 80s and 90s. Before his untimely death at the age of 50, he had directed 13 music videos (including videos for Madonna and Janet Jackson) and over 50 television commercials for brands such as Chanel, Calvin Klein, and Estée Lauder, not to mention hundreds of magazine editorials.
Melvin Sokolsky
Long before the days of Photoshop, Melvin Sokolsky was crafting mind-bending images through his illusory fashion photography. Holden Luntz has four whimsical works from the American photographer's famous bubble series where he captured flawlessly-dressed women encased in large Plexiglass orbs. See the French model Simone D’Aillencourt hovering elegantly over the River Seine and other dreamlike scenes of Parisian life.
Bert Stern
You've probably guessed by now that Holden Luntz is somewhat of a temple for vintage fashion photography. Last but not least on their star studded walls is American photographer Bert Stern, known for his portraits of Marilyn Monroe. The single work on show, however, offers a very different view of the Hollywood actress, far from the glamorous pin-up images we know her through. An imposing red cross is painted across her naked body whose outstretched arms recall the posture of a crucified Jesus. This quasi-religious work is certainly an appropriate place to finish worshipping at the altars of fashion photography.