Beyoncé undoubtedly has a lot of pull when it comes to being in control, which is why it's not shocking to hear that she chose the photographer for Vogue's September cover. She's behind Vogue hiring the first black photographer to shoot a cover for the publication in its 126-year history, hand-picking 23-year-old Atlanta-raised, New York City-based photographer Tyler Mitchell.
HuffPost reports that Beyoncé has been given full control over the cover of the forthcoming September issue, and she's contributed some of her own long-form writing to the inside of the issue. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has usually retained complete control over each issue of Vogue, going so far as to select the outfits worn by cover stars, giving those who appear on the cover almost no control on the final product. Beyoncé, however, is obviously no ordinary cover star.
The September cover is likely to be Wintour's last issue, according to those close to her plans. A source told HuffPost why Bey chose Tyler Mitchell to shoot her for the cover, explaining, "The reason a 23-year-old black photographer is photographing Beyoncé for the cover of Vogue is because Beyoncé used her power and influence to get him that assignment."
Mitchell has previously shot campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Ray-Ban, Nike, Converse, and Mercedes Benz among others. He's also directed music videos for Brockhampton and the group's frontman Kevin Abstract, as well having shot numerous artists for Fader, including Kali Uchis and Lil Uzi Vert.
