Lillian Bassman

Lillian was born in 1917. She was a textile designer and fashion illustrator before working at Harpers Bazaar as a photographer. There her photography was known for it's elegance. Her photography is unique because of her manipulation in the darkroom such as blurring and bleaching.

Patrick Demarchelier

Patrick Demarchelier is one of the most well respected photographers of the beauty and fashion industry. You can see in his contact sheets that his subjects feel extremely comfortable with him.  He is known for his spontaneity and letting his models natural essence come through the photo.  He was the official photographer of Princess Diana.  

Tim Walker

Tim walker has been photographing for Vogue for over a decade.  His photographs are always extravagantly staged and romantically themed.  His style is unmistakable.  He moved to NYC in 94 after graduating from Exeter college of art in London.  In NYC he worked as Richard Avedon's full time assistant.  I really enjoy his photography because it is like a scene from an opera or a musical.  Actually sometimes they feel dreamlike. The lighting has such a natural feeling.

Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin, or better known as "Inez & Vinoodh" are a dutch photography duo in work and private life. Vinoodh studied fashion photography in amsterdam and met Inez when she was an art student.  They have done editorials for magazines like Vogue, W, Harper's Bazaar, V, and campaigns for Chloe, Moschino, Balenciaga and more.  This editorial i included is probably one of my favorites of all time.  I love the de-saturated colors, the composition, the choice to make it look as natural as possible and the location.

Chloe S/S 07

I found this blog a few years ago and have been completely in love ever since. Not only are her children completely adorable, but her photos express such joy that you cant help but smile.  Her candids have the ability to put you right in the middle of her day.
I dont know her name or where she is from because I cant figure out how to translate on my mac, but i do know she uses a Mamiya 6x6, Pentax 6x7, and Canon EOS 40D
I really enjoy taking pictures of children and having their purity come through onto a photo.  What attracted me to her photos were the light colors and spontaneity. They seem so perfectly composed but so natural.

http://picouisou.blog41.fc2.com/

Something else I really admire about Camilla's work is her eye for abstraction. Her compositions are always extremely well composed and always interesting.  She does a lot with light and shadows to create      shapes that encloses or frames the model.  I also am drawn to her because for a female she is so successful.  In the fashion industry there are truly only a handful of female photographers and designers. She gives me drive to succeed as well as she has.  

Camilla Akrans

Swedish Photographer Camilla Akrans works for Management Artists based in NY.  She set out to be an artist in 1999 but diverted to photography. She has a fresh feeling to her photography, using soft lights and pastel colors.  She feels most comfortable shooting outdoors instead of the usual studio stuff like most photographers. Camilla has shot for Vogue, Numero, Harper's Bazaar and the New York Style Magazine. She has shot campaigns for Hermes, Missoni, Tommy Hilfiger and Neiman Marcus.
     I really enjoy her photography because its so light and airy.  The wide angle that she uses gives such a feeling of space.  What I love about her photography is the way she turns an editorial into a true work of art. The models always seem as though they are floating or flying.  I have to look at them over and over.

One of my favorite photographers who has and will always inspire my work is Paolo Roversi.  His use of his 8x 10 that he is most famous for has set him apart from others.  I really love this Alberta Ferretti F/W 10  ad because it isn't just a straight on image. It's taken from a higher angle and is taken in the reflection of a mirror.

Fendi F/W 10' by Karl Lagerfeld

Morgensonne 1952

Fendi F/W 10' by Karl Lagerfeld

Room in New York by Edward Hopper

Fendi F/W 10' by Karl Lagerfeld

Fendi F/W by Karl Lagerfeld

As I was looking through my september issue of Harpers Bazar I came across the new Fendi F/W ad campaign photographed by Karl Lagerfeld. I was really drawn to the simplicity of the set and the the composition. The picture i saw was a 2 page spread that reminded me of an Edward Hopper painting.  I think it was the neutral colors and simpleness that really had that "Hopper" feeling.  I researched the campaign and Karl said that he wanted it to resemble stills from a dramatic movie about an Italian couple in NY.  I then went on to look up some other Hopper paintings and found one titled "Room in New York" and it features a couple. Maybe he had no inspiration from Edward Hopper but i definitely could see where he's coming from if he did.

My blog is up! yay