Photographer Research - Steven Meisel

Steven Meisel

Why I've chosen him

I've chosen Steven Meisel as my fifth photographer because his photographs range from unique and fancy to simplistic and stunning. His composition is always accurate as there's never any wasted space in his pictures. He also uses a variety of different formal elements such as colour, form, tone, pattern and texture etc. He's an adventurous photographer and isn't afraid to try new things for different pictures. His photographs always consist of gorgeous models dressed in either wacky or elegant clothing along with bold or subtle make up. Steven doesn't just stick to one type of photograph, he experiments with all kinds of different compositions, layouts and techniques.

Biography

Steven Meisel (born 1954) is an American fashion photographer, who obtained popularity and critical acclaim with his work in US and Italian Vogue and his photographs of friend Madonna in her 1992 book Sex. He is now considered one of the most successful fashion photographers in the industry, shooting regularly for both US and Italian Vogue, and lately W. His fascination for beauty and models started at a young age. At that time Meisel would not play with toys, but would instead draw women all the time. He used to turn to magazines like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar as sources of inspiration for his drawings. One of Meisel's first jobs was to work for fashion designer Halston as an illustrator. He also taught illustration part-time at Parsons. Meisel never thought he could become a photographer. He felt that illustration was a thing of the past and found photography as a lasting medium. 

This would have to be one of Steven's more intriguing photographs. The colours do not match in the slightest in this picture however it's these that enhance the uniqueness of the overall outcome. It is evident that this model has her own complete style, and the materials of her collar and pillow looks extremely inviting. The fluff could suggest that she is rich as her overall outfit looks quite pricey. The shade of her face in general demonstrates that this is not a normal photograph because no one naturally has a face that white and icy. This picture could maybe be used as an advertisement for a new clothing range in winter as the fur clothing compliments her cold looking face.

This photograph is quite deep and intense. The make up that the model is wearing is harsh, bold and slightly intimidating. Her head's positioned in a way that she ends up looking directly into your eyes with also a slight grin on her face which completes the intimidating look that she's providing. Also, the way her chin is resting in her hands suggests that she is thinking about something which leaves suspicion amongst the viewers. The dark clothing she's dressed in looks fancy and elegant. The pattern in the clothing is something that effortlessly stands out against the white backdrop which was a good match.

This is one of Steven's more simple pieces of work. The black and white effect creates a relaxed feel to the picture which suits the body language of the model. She's casually sat down on a floor at ease looking into the camera, with no expression on her face yet she looks comfortable. The fact that she's dressed in nothing but jeans and a hat could perhaps come across as a tease. The main formal element that this picture consists of is tone and form, which most black and white images contain.

This is one of my favourite pictures of Steven's. First of all, I like how the backdrop isn't one block of colour, it looks as though it's been slightly crumpled and therefore creating more of an edgey touch to this image. The fruit in her hand is the only addition to this picture that includes colour; this makes it stand out against the rest of the photograph. The model's wearing some sort of black item on her head which looks abnormal and different. This links to the usual odd looking vouge front covers. Most of them include a model who's had an extremely over the top make up that he or she would never actually go out in.

How he's influenced me

Steven has influenced me to definitely focus on the make up of models. He encourages me to construct a whole shoot with only one model, making them pose in a variety of ways and adding my own accessories to the picture as a whole. I'd like to attempt my own picture for a Vogue magazine and Steven has influenced me with wanting to do this, so perhaps I will get a better chance of this in a future project.

Summary

Overall this amazing fashion photographer is an extremely successful man with a collection of amazing photographs. He pushed himself to achieve what he set out for himself and reached those goals by becoming one of the most successful fashion photographers in the industry. His work is eye catching along with attractive, intriguing and well constructed.