ByPhotographers are known for their creativity. As the person behind the camera, they can use their ingenuity and imagination to portray life and people in very unique ways. Since a celebrity is photographed so often and is likely to have thousands of photographs already in the public domain, it becomes all the more difficult for famous photographers to create unique and impactful photographs of these well-known personalities. This post will look at the best celebrity photographers of all time.
The Field of Celebrity Photography
The work of celebrity photographers can be classified as being within the boundaries of photojournalism, photographing portraits, or fashion photography, as most celebrity news revolves around these areas. So it can be said that the best celebrity photographers dedicate a major part of their career to pursuing photography in these genres. The best contribution of celebrity photographers is that they contribute to making these iconic images part of the world’s collective memory. It is like a historical timestamp that can be looked into again and again to jog your recollection of this event. Quite possibly, it also becomes a defining moment in the life of the celebrity that it portrays.
The Best Celebrity Photographers
1. Mario Testino
If you look at the photographs of Peruvian fashion photographer Mario Testino, you will see that they portray many well-known celebrities. His work includes the last known picture of Princess Diana. He has taken excellent photographs of the Royal Family. Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Princess Charlotte have figured among his subjects. He has taken photographs of Kate Moss and Madonna that helped in progressing their careers. He loves taking photos of subjects in everyday activities as they celebrate everyday life events. His photography is a testament to the fact that life is a beautiful experience.
2. Martin Schoeller
Martin Schoeller is known for his hyper-detailed portraits of personalities. He has given the world a photography book called Close Up: Portraits 1998-2005 where he produced a collection of over 300 portraits. He is known for using a similar background for his photographs, whether they are well-known or just normal people. He lives in New York and is the staff photographer for the New Yorker magazine.
3. Terry Richardson
Terry Richardson is known for taking photographs of celebrities in mundane situations. He is known for both sexual and non-sexual depictions of his subjects. He loves depicting celebrities with full frontal nudity against a white background. He is regarded as a rock star among celebrity photographers. He also loves using an instant camera and posing with celebrities, giving them his trademark glasses so that they can pretend to be him.
4. Irving Penn
The thing that sets the work of this celebrity photographer apart from all others is that he has used the Minimalist style in his work. He spent a major part of his life working for Vogue magazine. He is regarded as one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. He has depicted famous subjects against a simple background, even though they are celebrities like Audrey Hepburn, Salvador Dali, Elizabeth Taylor, and Pablo Picasso. He has made a sizable contribution to the visual history of fame, art, and culture.
5. Helmut Newton
The work of Helmut Newton will definitely shock most viewers, as he has chosen to explore themes of bondage, fetishism, voyeurism, sadomasochism, prostitution, and murder. His focus has been to depict the images as seen through the eye of the viewer. He has also worked for Playboy magazine. His work plays on the edge with pornography and erotic art. His work can be described as the story of the male gaze on the female body.
6. Peter Lindbergh
This German photographer was known for photographing famous female fashion models like Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington together for the January 1990 British Vogue cover. He photographed the Pirelli calendar three times- in 1996, 2002 and 2017. He is famous for saying that it should be the responsibility of photographers today to free women, and finally everyone, from the terror of youth and perfection. His cover for Vogue magazine is thought to be the inspiration for the term Supermodel. His photos are mostly black and white but are still iconic images.
7. Annie Leibovitz
This famous photographer began her career in the 1970s. Her work has been labeled personal reportage as she has covered people from different walks of life through commercial, documentary, and artistic photography that made their lives unforgettable. She changed the image of the Pirelli calendar in 2016 by making it socially engaged and portraying fully clothed females in different roles depicting social, cultural, sporting, and artistic accomplishments.
8. David LaChapelle
The name of this photographer is associated with pop culture and celebrities from the 1980s onwards. He is well known for exaggerating colors, themes, or style, which portrays a celebrity’s bizarre element. This has been labeled as Kitsch Pop Surrealism.
9. Elliot Erwitt
This photographer has a background in advertising, filmmaking, and documentary photography. He wants to normalize the media and make shoots simple and easy. He takes black-and-white photos of ironic and absurd everyday situations. He has photographed Marilyn Monroe, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and American presidents.
10. Richard Avedon
He has worked for fashion magazines. He uses motionless editorial photography to bring out the feelings of vulnerability and hypersensitivity in his subjects. He has photographed Andy Warhol, the Beatles, and other iconic figures. He also worked for supermodel campaigns in the 1980s and 1990s.
Why the Work of Famous Photographers Matter
Famous photographers like the 10 individuals covered above have considerably influenced both pop culture and celebrity status. Looking at their lives and achievements is a testimony to the evolution of photography as an art form. The work they have done encompasses different genres and covers everything from minimalism to rampant exhibitionism.
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Conclusion
If a picture is worth a thousand words, the work of these celebrity photographers definitely proves it. They have devoted their lives to photographing celebrities from different fields of endeavor and made a living testimony of this art form for all to see.
