Nick Knight may well be the most creative fashion image-maker there is. There’s something very British about his work – it mixes both punk and old-world elegance. He’s the Alexander McQueen of photography (or maybe Alexander McQueen was the Nick Knight of fashion?).
I remember vividly when I first saw his work: I was an young art buyer at BBDO New York and Bill Stockland, his agent in the US, came to show us his books. Bill was a great agent, but Kander’s images didn’t need any selling.
I love Javier Vallhonrat approach to color – it’s very painterly and makes me think of Impressionism.
Nan Goldin’s photographs are not always easy to face. They show hardship, violence and pain. But they also, and more importantly, show life – the good, the bad, and the ugly of it.
Jean-Loup Sieff photographed the who’s who’s of fashionable Paris (and years later, me!).
Tyler Mitchell’s subjects, be they models or everyday people, are effortlessly cool, like only cool 19-year-olds know how to be. They play with gender roles and pay no mind to what people may think of their clothes or skin color. Mitchell shows us moments when being young and alive is all that matters.
Throughout his life and career, Gordon Parks held an unflinching mirror to America and fought for civil rights and social justice. Photographer, filmmaker, writer, musician… he was a true Renaissance man and led an extraordinary life!
You immediately know you’re looking at a Walker’s image when you see it. I find his work also eminently British, referencing old world grandeur and fairytales. I think the world can use more of those, don’t you?
Ruth Bernhard was left free to become who she wanted to be, and create the images she wanted to see, a rare thing in her time.
Sally Mann started documenting her family in the 1980s, using a century-old 8×10 film camera. The resulting images are beautiful and timeless. They also raise uncomfortable questions.
Your reaction to them will depend on your degree of comfort with the uncomfortable.