After mentioning him in last week’s inaugural Artist of the Week post, it seems only fair to choose French fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier as this week’s artist. My favorite of his photographs features Warren Beatty and Annette Bening with their daughter, below:
Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, and their daughter. Los Angeles. (c) 1994 Patrick Demarchelier
I love it because it’s all about connection and the moment. However, it’s a bit outside his typical style. His work overall is clean, elegant and timeless, as you’ll see in his 1992 image of Christy Turlington for British Vogue. This is one of his most recognized photographs:
Christy Turlington, New York, for British Vogue 1992 (c) Patrick Demarchelier
Shalom Harlow 1995 (c) Patrick Demarchelier
Nadja Auermann New York 1995 (c) Patrick Demarchelier
Demarchelier’s simple, clean style lends itself well to advertising and editorial photography, leaving lots of room for captioning and typography. Although he primarily works in black and white, he has been incorporating more color in his portfolio in recent years:
Emma Stone for British Vogue August 2012 (c) Patrick Demarchelier
Maria Semenyachenko for Vogue Russia January 2014 (c) Patrick Demarchelier
Patrick Demarchelier, by David Shankbone 2010
Patrick Demarchelier is one of the foremost fashion photographers working today. A veritable pop icon, he was referenced in the film, The Devil Wears Prada, and received the designation of Officier dans l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French minister of culture in 2007. Given his acclaim, you might be surprised to learn that he does not have formal photographic credentials.
“I learned most by just taking pictures; a lot of pictures. I’ve made plenty of mistakes, but it’s often from your mistakes that you learn most. Being a photographer is like being an athlete. You must practice every day,” he’s said.
Demarchelier got his start in photography at the age of 17, upon receiving a camera as a gift from his stepfather. Three years later, he began working for a photography lab and later became a photographer’s assistant. In 1975, already an established fashion photographer in France, he followed his girlfriend to New York and became a freelance photographer and assistant to masters like Henri Cartier-Bresson. Today, he lives in New York with his wife, Mia.
To discover more of his work or to purchase prints, please visit his website: http://www.demarchelier.net.
What’s your favorite Demarchelier photo? Can you see his style clearly in the images posted above?
Cheers,
