8 Famous Fashion Photographers You Should Know
Because of the internet and specially Instagram, fashion photography is no longer restricted to people who read fashion magazines, go to museums or have access to luxury brand catalogs. Everyone can come across a fashion photo at any time.
August 2020
Blog post by Antonio Barros
However, this does not mean that the countless photos we see today are works of art or have any relevance to the history of fashion.
From time to time I like to see the work of the masters of fashion photography and learn from each new detail I discover in their works.
I put this list together with the names of the greatest photographers who unfortunately have passed away but whose works are part of the history of fashion.
Erwin Blumenfeld
- Erwin Blumenfeld (1897 – 1969) was an American photographer of German origin. He photographed for Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and American Vogue. He also photographed advertisements for L'Oréal and Helena Rubinstein.
Wikipedia: Erwin Blumenfeld
Official website: erwinblumenfeld.com
Regina Relang
- Regina Relang (1906–1989) was a German fashion photographer and photojournalist active in the 1950s and 1960s. Regina did photoshoots for the French, American, and British editions of Vogue and also worked for Christian Dior, Pierre Cardin, and Yves Saint-Laurent. She also photographed the Haute Couture presentations for several publications.
Wikipedia: Regina Relang
Book Publisher: hatjecantz.de
Horst P. Horst
- Horst P. Horst(1906 – 1999) was a German-American fashion photographer. Horst photographed Bette Davis, Lisa Fonssagrives, Elsa Schiaparelli, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, Eve Curie, Oscar de la Renta, Andy Warhol, Emilio Pucci, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Marlene Dietrich. He also worked during 30 years for Coco Chanel.
Wikipedia: Horst P. Horst
Official website: horstphorst.com
Helmut Newton
- Helmut Newton (1920 – 2004) was a German-Australian fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically charged black-and-white photos were part uncountable times at Vogue, Elle, Playboy, and several other publications. His work was exhibited in 2012 at the Grand Palais in Paris and he has 14 published books.
Wikipedia: Helmut Newton
Official website: helmut-newton-foundation.org
Bill Cunningham
- Bill Cunningham (1929 – 2016) was an American fashion photographer for the New York Times, known for his street style photography. His work was exhibited at the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1977, at the New-York Historical Society in 2014 and in 2016 at the Savannah College of Art and Design. In 2011, Filmmaker Richard Press and writer Philip Gefter of The New York Times released a documentary called "Bill Cunningham New York", about the life and work of Cunningham.
Wikipedia: Bill Cunningham
Book: Bill Cunningham: On the Street: Five Decades of Iconic Photography
Victor Skrebneski
- Victor Skrebneski (1929 – 2020) was an American photographer. Skrebneski is most known for his fashion photography and his work for the ad campaigns of Estee Lauder, notably his portrait portfolio marketing campaign known as "The Estee Lauder Woman" with Karen Graham. Skrebneski also worked with Ralph Lauren, Carolina Herrera, Cindy Crawford, Oprah Winfrey, Audrey Hepburn, Diana Ross, Hubert de Givenchy, Diahann Carroll and François Truffaut.
Wikipedia: Victor Skrebneski
Official website: skrebneskiphotographs.com
Karl Lagerfeld
- Karl Lagerfeld (1933 – 2019) was a German creative director, fashion designer, artist, photographer, and caricaturist. He photographed many of Chanel’s fashion campaigns, and his work was published in fashion magazines such as British Vogue and Interview.
Wikipedia: Karl Lagerfeld
Peter Lindbergh
- Peter Lindbergh (1944 – 2019) was a German fashion photographer and film director. One of his memorable photos is the January 1990 cover of the British Vogue with Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington. He also photographed the Pirelli Calendar's and album covers for Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, and Beyoncé! His work was exhibited at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2009.
Wikipedia: Peter Lindbergh
Official website: peterlindbergh.foundation