Who Is.. Nick Knight

Creativity, in all it’s messy masks, isn’t always something that reveals itself to be conventionally beautiful. It can be dark and dirty, dangerously seductive and at times, hideously painful. However, in all it’s forms, the creativity of famed fashion photographer Nick Knight is somehow consistently exquisite. Esteemed for testing the boundaries of traditional practices and the ideal beauty, he relishes innovation and continues to prevail as one of the industries leading image makers. 

Born Nicholas David Gordon in London in 1958, the young visionary studied at Bournemouth and Poole College of Art and Design which was where he published his first photography book, Skinheads. Before even completing his studies he was already one of the world’s most sought after photographers. Around this time he was commissioned by I-D magazine’s editor, Terry Jones, to produce 100 portraits for the publications fifth anniversary issue. As a consequence of the partnership came the beginnings of Knight’s future and the opportunity to work with Yohji Yamamoto, the Japanese designer, shooting his 1986 catalogue under the art director Marc Ascoli. The success of this project saw him go on to create 12 successive catalogues for the designer. 

From there Knight found himself the commissioning picture editor for i-D, work that enabled him to sharpen his craft working alongside the great Terry Jones - former art director of British Vogue and co-founder of i-D.

His reputation as an avant-garde figure in the space of progressive image-making has been hard earned and over the past three decades his lengthy career and impressive portfolio has earned him that rightful title. He continues to experiment with the latest technologies and his curiosity in such advances saw him launch his fashion website SHOWstudio.com in 2000, which he says in his own words is there to show ‘the entire creative process from conception to completion.’ His passion for the experiential has stood to him and seeing the future of film as an important medium in the industry he has acted as a leading force in offering a unique way in which we consume fashion, encouraging and nurturing the industry through the transitional age of the digital era. SHOWstudio also aims to work with the worlds most influential and yet to be discovered creative visionaries, from writers and filmmakers to photographers, illustrators and authoritative cultural personalities.  

A true perfectionist, Knight works in the exact same outfit every single time he produces. The jeans he wears are specially commissioned - as when they went out of production he just had to have them. Beyond the beautiful he has some very important themes in his work, one of which is imagined in his collaboration with Lady Gaga for whom he directed the video for her hit single Born This Way. The theme of empowerment and showing unity and community within minority groups is something he comes back to again and again in his work. Some of his most revered creative collaborations have been with leading designers such as Yohji Yamamoto, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen while some of his major commercial clients have included an array of global brands including Audi, Christian Dior, Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Lauren, Levi Strauss, Mercedes Benz, Royal Opera House, and Swarovski. He is responsible for no less than 36 British Vogue covers and has shot the record covers for greats like David Bowie, Paul Weller, George Michael and Massive Attack. In 2010 he received an OBE in recognition of his contribution to the arts. 

Knight lives in Richmond, London with his wife Charlotte and their three children.

Who Is.. Annie Leibovitz

Born Anna-Lou Leibovitz in Waterbury, Connecticut, October 2 1949, the celebrated portrait-photographer Annie Leibovitz, as the world more famously knows her, is something of a brilliantly talented creator, perhaps one of the finest of her time. Growing up in an idyllic middle-class family where her mother, a modern-dance teacher, instilled in her a love of the arts and a passion that would later thread it’s way through her majorly successful career. Her first experimentations with photography came about in the 1960’s when her father, a lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force, was stationed in the Philippines during the Vietnam War and she would spend her time there documenting the very raw scenes around the military base along with her explorations of nearby locales. However, she didn’t really ignite a real enthusiasm for her craft as a possible profession until, in 1967, when she moved to San Fransisco to study painting at the San Francisco Art Institute. In her second semester there she signed up for a photography module and transferred her major in a heartbeat. 

While still in school, Leibovitz started her first big job in the industry, with a position at, the then very new and experimental, Rolling Stone magazine. She had shown her image of Allen Ginsberg smoking pot at an anti-Vietnam march to the magazines creator, Jann Wenner and he immediately hired her. The magazine’s culture suited her and her new vision of the world, focused on counterculture that was steadily emerging from the nonconformist mentalities of the late 1950’s.  Within three short years, at the age of just 23, she worked her way up the ladder, landing the role of Chief Photographer. Her time at the prominent publication saw her create a very distinctive look for them and with her creative freedom a completely boundless liberty, she thrived as a creative, paving her way and making her name known in the industry. Renowned for her dramatic iconic portraits of rock and roll stars up until this time, it was a huge risk in deciding what to do when, in 1983, Vanity Fair came knocking on her door. 

Shifting from the gritty, fast-paced and very unforgiving ways of the Rolling Stone way of life, she took Vanity Fair up on the offer and jumped ship. Her 13 years at Rolling Stone had left her with a heavy drug habit; she had overdosed twice in recent years and it is said that she reportedly once peddled her camera equipment to fund her cocaine habit. So, in many respects, the glossy pages of Vanity Fair and it’s more polished mainstream culture came at an important time for her, both professionally and personally. Her iconic work brought a lot to the magazine in terms of a celebrity base, a lot of whom previously had not wanted to be shot for the publication but once hearing it was Leibovitz as head creative, they jumped on board immediately. Budgets at Vanity Fair were practically non-existent and her career soared to such heights and made her a household name for all the right reasons. 

Her personal life sees her mother to her daughter, Sarah, whom she gave birth to in 2001 at the age of 51 and twin girls Sam and Susan who were born in 2005 via a surrogate. Her adult life has been marred with moments of difficulty and distress. Seeing her life partner, the critic, writer and political activist Susan Sontag, lose her battle to acute myeloid leukemia in the Spring of 2004 left Leibovitz devastated. Also, despite commanding six figure payments per shoot, she is legendarily bad with money. During a period of personal sadness, around the time of her Mother’s death, Leibovitz found herself a cool $24 million in debt. She journeyed through a lengthy legal battle while filing for bankruptcy and trying to remain the solo owner of the rights to her extensive and vastly valuable portfolio of images. Which she eventually secured. However trying this period of her life, she lived many amazing moments too, one of her proudest being deemed a Living Legend by the Library of Congress and her honour at being awarded The Royal Photographic Society's Centenary Medal and Honorary Fellowship in 2009.

Known firstly as a celebrity portrait photographer, she credits the foundational ideas and philosophy of her work, and a career that has spanned almost 40 years, to her biggest inspirations, industry greats such as Richard Avedon, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank and their ability to create images that last a lifetime. She lives in New York City. 

Who Is.. Cindy Sherman

Cynthia Morris Sherman was born in New Jersey on January 19, 1954 and is one of the contemporary art world’s most influential and consequential living female photographers. More widely known as Cindy Sherman, her career as an artist has spanned nearly 40 years and throughout she has exclusively created photographic self-portraits that explore, with a strong streak of feminist  messages, the construction of modern day life, drawing on social role-playing and sexual stereotypes. Socially critical and amusing, her work is never far from the truth; mirroring the realities of our time with a sustained and precise fabrication that forces the viewer to take a deep breath in personal recognition or perhaps a wider, more general appreciation of it’s greater meaning.

Sherman is an interesting and interested character. Upon graduating from the State University of New York in 1976 she moved away from painting and began what would become her life’s work beginning with Complete Untitled Film Stills (1977-1978) which would remain one of her most seminal series and consisted of 69 black-and-white images. In the 1980’s she moved on to colour film and larger more mammoth productions focusing slightly more on the use of lighting and facial expression. She has since, at different times, focused on directing motion film between her famous photographic series. But her photography remains her most celebrated and revered work. 

In every series of creations, Sherman works as her own subject while capturing herself in an endless range of pretences and guises. In the creation of one or any of her photographs, she is everything all at once, from makeup-artist and hair-stylist to creative stylist, creative director and of course, photographer. All of this means she stands alone in the industry, in which she is typically grouped within the era of the Pictures Generation, through her distinctive mix of performance and photography. Drawing upon film, fashion and a lot of influential and commercial advertisements, she ironically plays into with the cultural stereotypes that are massively supported and encouraged by such media portals and draws upon her belief that we must challenge them with a sense of sharpness and dark humour. In her processes, she uses wigs, prosthetics accessories, liberal amounts of makeup and set designs that all enable her visions to come to life. 

Sherman has been the subject of many major museum exhibitions, most recently at MoMA in 2019 and again at the National Portrait Gallery, in London which also showed this year. She lives in New York City where she also works in solitary in her Manhattan studio. 

Edelle Kenny, The Interview

Edelle Kenny is an Irish, New York City based photographer, videographer and freelance TV producer. She has worked on major global campaigns, shooting top models and influencers, not to mention her work as a producer with the Discovery Channel. Edelle’s work is a beautiful mix of sultry and sexy with a depth of meaning very distinctive to her style. She lives and works in Manhattan and here we speak to her about her life as a photographer, her thoughts on comparisons and competition and what her dream shoot would be..

Edelle, tell us about your path into the photography world?

I’ve always been a very visual person and loved to document moments on point and shot cameras growing up. When I was 18 I started a PLC in Media and Communications and one of our modules was photography. It was probably my favourite module but I decided to pursue television and documentary and unfortunately my interest fell by the wayside for a few years. When I moved to New York I had access to different cameras in my day job and I started taking them home on the weekend to teach myself. I actually still have the first 60 photos I shot. I remember being too nervous to take photos of people. I used to go to Tiffany’s on 5th Avenue because they would have models as door men and I would creepily just shoot them standing outside. From there I decided to try make a side hustle and began shooting portraits and ‘looks’ for influencers to try build up my skills . Eventually I started booking more and more jobs via photography with private clients, brands and companies. 

 You’ve made a professional career of your passion which is something so admirable and not many can truly say they’ve achieved, how do you balance between personal preferences as a creator and your clients wishes when working on commercial work? 

This is a tough one. Like any artist or creative knows, if your work is your passion, but you are only willing to take jobs that are your creative preference, you will most certainly go hungry and broke.

For me, if I am not 100 percent invested and excited about a project I am unfulfilled. For a long time I found myself taking every photography job offered to make ends meet and then essentially not enjoying what I was creating and loosing interest in my passion. So I came up with a solution. I decided to spilt my time, I went back to working freelance in television and when a photography job came up that I was really really excited about, I would take it. 

How does the creative process happen when you’re working on a shoot?

While working on a shoot creative process always starts with a concept and deciding ‘What is the story behind what we are trying to create”? Even if the end results don’t necessarily project that story as a narrative, it’s a good vibe to remember on the day. No two minds are alike so I will usually ask for the client to present me with some visuals that inspire them and I will also create a mood-board of what is in my head and only then do we merge. On the day of the shoot, you shoot and adapt. Sometimes we’ll be trying to capture something we thought we wanted and instead the opposite will feel right, so you adjust to go with that. Everyones input is considered, make up artists, hairstylists, assistants, absolutely everyone gets involved.

On the relationship between you and the subjects you work with, how do you cultivate an environment that allows them to come to life in a way necessary for the shoot?

THE most important thing, in my opinion, is cultivating a comfortable and relaxed environment for your subject. If your photo is technically perfect and your model is uncomfortable, it means nothing. If your photo is slightly out of focus or under exposed but your model is showing their personality, then you can say it’s a great photo. You can fix photos in photoshop, you can’t fix emotions. I always sit and chat with the subject, get to know them, and ease them into a shoot.

We live in a very digital focussed generation, with so many people now creating content directly on their phones, what are your thoughts on it all and would we ever catch you using yours to capture moments in time?

I hear a lot of photographers give out about iPhone photography saying slightly passive-aggressively ‘Oh everyone is a photographer today’, and frankly, in my opinion, that’s the truth. Everyone can take a photo much like everyone is able to sing. But, it’s subjective, and I think artists need to find solace in that concept. Know that it’s subjective. Your vision of beauty is and never will be the same as someones else’s. If you have the ability to capture something that at least one other person can say beautiful, then settle for that. And if someone else is able to create that happiness with an iPhone picture, then it’s just another piece of good in the world.  Good photography is not about a beautiful person with a blurred background and perfect skin texture, (which iPhones can do amazingly now), that is good advertising! Good photography is about the beauty of this world and how you see it and sharing your point of view with the rest of us. So long story short, I am here for iPhone photography, the more beauty we can share the better. 

In saying that, I try not to use my phone for photography because I don’t think I would ever switch off. If I know I will want to take photos I bring my camera. But, if I feel I need to switch off, I leave it and home and don’t take pictures with my phone either. My camera roll is shamelessly full to the brim with screenshots of memes. 

How is photographing a celebrity or model different from photographing a regular person?  The only difference I find is the crew size. I never behave differently. I get one on one with the subject and find the connection between us. Whether it’s an international super model or if a 14 year old getting her portrait taken and we bond over favourite school subjects.People are people and everyone is a human on set in search of making that connection to feel comfortable.

Where do you find yourself most inspired?

I find myself most inspired in lower Manhattan; the personalities, the style, the stories are amazing there. It’s at times overwhelming. I walk by these two men every morning who sit and play music on their stoop and chat with all the regular neighbours. They wear very unique clothes and I always think, I just want to follow you all day with a camera. 

Do you ever get creative blocks? How do you deal with them?

Creative blocks are something I used to think where crippling and I would let them own me. I would stop posting on social media and watch other people thrive and beat myself up over it. Until I learned to give into creative blocks and see them as creative breaks. I think that’s something that is important to realise, when you’re a creative, you never switch off because you’re pulling inspiration from everywhere and everything; from the light than comes into your bedroom window the moment you wake up to the way the street lights catch a silhouette in the dead of night, it’s exhausting! Allow yourself a break and let your creative mind readjust and grow!

When do you know you have the perfect shot?

I wish I had an insightful answer for this but I just feel it. There’s always that one shot you take and you just shout, ‘this is it, we got it’ . Ironically, when you go into edits, it’s not the one you choose but that feeling on the day is usually where I put the camera down or move on. 

Living in a big city where creatives relocate to thrive, there’s so much competition; to what do you attribute your success thus far?

Competition. A word and concept I’m learning to remove myself from in every aspect of my personal and professional life. If you can lay your head on your pillow at night and know that you gave everything you had that day, it’s good enough. I remember one time I applied for a Photography Incubation Space. I went to the open day to meet the organisers to do an interview. I brought what I thought was my best work. They told me I wasn’t suitable and then referenced the excellence and creative intelligence of what was currently in the incubator. The series of photos they referenced, was a self portrait photo of a man’s testicles sticking out of his fly with a piece of pink bubblegum stuck to them. I’m not doubting this as art, but I remember leaving the studio and crying the whole way home on the subway because I was comparing myself to a testicle poking out through a pair of yellow cords. I considered giving up on photography. But trust me, DO NOT compare yourself and never ever give up. 

What’s your favourite photograph that you’ve taken.. and the one you wish you’d taken?

I go through phases but the one that immediately comes to mind is of a dear friend Ruthy. Ruth is a beautiful girl who modelled before and we see each other every week, on paper it seemed like the perfect match to shoot immediately but, we didn’t. Something didn’t feel right and I am glad we waited. When we met we were very chalk and cheese and as our friendship developed we began to understand each other more and right before she left New York I asked her to shoot. This photo is the perfect merge between our personalities. Sharp, blurred lines, sexual and reserved.

The photo I wish I had taken, with out a doubt, is ANYTHING shot by Vivian Maier.

If you were to land your absolute dream shoot, what would it be, where and with who?

Dream shoot would defintitely be with Nat Geo, photographing lost tribes. 

Who in the industry inspires you?

On a fashion visual standpoint, Matteo Montanari. His ability to photograph fashion in an effortless and documentary style is beautiful. 

For commercial and street photography, it’s a fellow Dubliner turned NewYorker, Rich Gilligan.  

Do you have any tips for those wishing too build a career as a photographer?

Take photos of what you love and take loads. You don’t need the best equipment on the market. Do it on a disposable. Curate your eye and don’t be afraid to stop people in the street and say, can I shoot you.

Follow Edelle on Instagram

Who Is.. Ellen Von Unwerth

Playfully erotic images of female pop stars and models have made Ellen von Unwerth’s photographic career a seriously sexy success. Born In Frankfurt, Germany in 1954, von Unwerth’s childhood was dotted with stints in foster care and was marred with unrest. Upon graduating from high school however, her vivid imagination saw her taking a job in the circus as an assistant. She regularly performed in the travelling show’s magic acts, it was her escape and she loved it. Soon enough though her great escape presented itself and her fashion career began to take shape when she was at university in Munich on her first day when she was spotted by a modelling scout. She modelled in Munich for some time before relocating to Paris where she signed with Elite and remained in front of the camera for 10 years, booking many prestigious jobs including the cover of Cosmopolitan.

It wasn’t until her boyfriend at the time gifted her a new camera on a shoot on location in Kenya that her inner passion and gift for being behind the lens came to light. She began taking her own photos and in no time she was shooting regular campaigns. In 1989 however she really found her footing, landing a monumental project, a Guess campaign in which she shot one of the era’s newly rising models, Claudia Schiffer. The two budding stars found major fame in the moment and von Unwerth became a hot commodity overnight. Just two years later she won first prize at the International Festival of Fashion Photography earning her her place in the industry as one of it’s top fashion photographers. Her photographic style was a refreshing take on the provocative, portraying women in playful settings while drawing a seductive story in every shot; something that would continue to dictate Guess’ notoriously suggestive campaigns for over 30 years since. 

Opulently feminine and luxuriously sensual, von Unwerth’s work is instantly recognisable. She has said of her craft that “Technique undoubtedly helps make photography magical, but I prefer to work with atmosphere. I think that the obsession with technique is a male thing. I would rather search for a new model or location.” Her work has been published in major fashion publications such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, Interview, The Face, Arena, and i-D.  and she has shot some of the most prolific and sometimes controversial campaigns in fashion history for brands like Dior, Ralph Lauren, Uniqlo, Thierry Mulger and John Galliano. 

She understands the sexy and makes it somehow sexier, something perhaps only a female photographer can do so powerfully and without objectification. Her creative prowess has spawned many mediums including her directorial work on music videos and the creative direction of some of the past decades most famed album covers, including Duran Duran’s 1990 Liberty album, Pop Life by Bananarama in 1991, Saints and Sinners by All Saints in 2000, Blackout by Britney Spears, 2007 and Talk That Talk and Rated by Rihanna. She has also been director of commercial films for brands such as Revlon, Equinox and Clinique. No matter her way of delivering beautiful images however, you can be sure that Ellen von Unwerth will always maintain her sexy distinctive style, holding her place as one of her generations most celebrated image makers. 

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