Photographer 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.
Photographers I Love: Sally Mann
Photographer 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.
Photographers I Love: Philip-Lorca diCorcia
I first discovered photographer Philip-Lorca diCorcia through his fashion editorial for W Magazine. His fashion series lead me to his fine-art work, which only deepened my love for him. I’ve since bought pretty much every one of his books (and he has quite a few!).
Photographers I Love: Martin Schoeller
Martin Schoeller made me understand what it meant to be a great portrait photographer. He has this inane ability to connect with people, and to draw them out, getting amazing images in the process.
Photographers I Love: Peter Beard
Handsome, talented, fearless, both a socialite and an adventurer… photographer Peter Beard was the Hemingway of photography.
Photographers I Love: Prince Gyasi
Photographer Prince Gyasi is barely 30 years old and shoots with a cell phone (!!), proof yet again that talent has nothing to do with experience or equipment.
Photographers I Love: William Eggleston
Photographer William Eggleston is credited with making color photography a legitimate art form. To understand this, we need to put him back in his historical context, the late 1960s.
Photographers I Love: Richard Avedon
Photographer Richard Avedon had everyone in front of his camera, from fashion models to celebrities, socialites, cowboys, beatnick intellectuals and drag queens.
Photographers I Love: Jean-Paul Goude
Although photographer Jean-Paul Goude carries his share of controversy, he still remains one of the photographers I love. Growing up in France in the 80s, I saw his work everywhere, from Chanel ads to highly creative commercials on TV.
Photographers I Love: Helmut Newton
Photographer Helmut Newton was often vilified for his depiction of women — many objected to his objectification of his models, of him putting them in aggressively sexual scenarios, while others found his images to be empowering and reflecting the power of female sexuality. What do you think?