The 50 Greatest Fashion Photographers Right Now

Image via Complex Original

Horst Diekgerdes

Horst Diekgerdes shoots for Elle, Numero, Harper's Bazaar, Another Man, Sonia Rykiel, H&M, and Uniqlo, always creating mysterious fairytale-like scenes that seem to have a dark side. As a masterful storyteller, he uses soft light and interesting outdoor and indoor locations.

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Sebastian Kim

Sebastian Kim's work can be found in Harper's Bazaar UK, i-D, Interview, Muse, Numéro, Numéro Japan, W, and Vogue,, with incredible ad campaigns for Alexander Wang, Calvin Klein, John Galliano, and Opening Ceremony. Whether shooting celebrities or models, individually or in groups, he tells stories though fashion photography in a sexy, tasteful manner.

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Victor Demarchelier

Like his father, Patrick Demarchelier, Victor Demarchelier took up photography, and it seems he inherited the fashion photography genes. His work uses simple concepts to make big statements. He shoots for a variety of major magazines and has established himself as separate from, albeit still a descendant of, one of the greatest fashion photographers to ever live.

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Alice Hawkins

Alice Hawkin's work can be found in LOVE, Vogue, i-D, Harper's Bazaar, InStyle, and Vanity Fair. Her work is sexy and intriguing, reaching the core of her subjects in both her commercial and fine art fashion photography endeavors. Her ad campaigns for Diesel, Agent Provocateur, and Topman have been some of her greatest work.

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Arnaud Pyvka

Arnaud Pyvka's work has grace, whimsicality, and softness, which is sometimes harder to achieve than a bright, in-your-face shot. He uses soft tints and shallow depth of field to create evocative fashion photography.

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Alessandro Dal Buoni

Alessandro Dal Buoni's fashion photography has unmistakable softness and grace. He shoots for L'Officiel Hommes China, Bon, GQ Japan, Amica, L'Officiel Hommes Germany, Hunter, Dazed & Confused Japan, AnOther Man, D Magazine, Dazed & Confused, i-D, Mixte, Mixte Hommes, Rolling Stone, V and V Man, among others. He has additionally done striking campaigns for Dior Homme, Yohji Yamamoto, Roberta Furlanetto, KRISVANASSCHE, and more.

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Arnaldo Anaya-Lucca

Arnaldo Anaya-Lucca has photographed for a number of publications, often capturing his subjects in movement or in the air. He shoots mostly men and recently did a number of excellent ad campaigns for Ralph Lauren, including their 2012 Summer Olympic Campaign.

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Georges Antoni

Georges Antoni's work is tastefully erotic, often black and white, and often nude, but always high fashion. His photography is a lesson in storytelling, whether told through facial expressions, billowing dresses, calm seas, or simple studio set-ups. He shoots for Oyster, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, and more — always outshining the competition with his coloring and lighting expertise.

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Alex Sainsbury

Alex Sainsbury's work is colorful, confrontational, and full of narrative. Shooting regularly for Dazed and Confused, Garage, Wonderland, Arena Homme+, POP, Interview, and i-D, he somehow keeps it serious and playful at the same time. If simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, then Sainsbury's work is the embodiment of actual simplicity in fashion photography.

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Andrew G. Hobbs

Andrew G. Hobbs' work is many styles in one — colorful gels, monochrome, hard, and soft. He draws out a lot of emotion from his subjects, both in their gestures and faces. It's no surprise that his work continually appears in Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, GQ, L'Officiel, and British Vogue, with ad campaigns for Nike and Louis Vuitton changing the game.

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Alessio Bolzoni

Alessio Bolzoni's work is avant-garde and dramatic, often putting people in groups together and creating patterns with them. He shoots for Grey, L'Officiel, L'ora, and other magazines, always knowing how to mix high fashion with new ideas that he's amazing at pulling off.

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Ben Dunbar-Brunton

Ben Dunbar-Brunton's work is marked by simplicity, balance, and youthfulness, as seen in his contributions to i-D, Pop, GQ Style, Arena Homme +, US and British Vogue, V and VMAN. He collaborates with top stylists and designers, from Simon Foxton to David Bradshaw, Katie Grand, Hamish Bowles and Carlo Brandelli. His ad campaigns for Stella McCartney, Adidas, Kilgour, French Connection, Trussardi, and Levi's will leave you wanting more.

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Aline & Jacqueline Tappia

Aline & Jacqueline Tappia are another excellent fashion photography duo, who shoot for SID Magazine, Fiasco, ODDA, DSECTION, Grit, GQ Italia, and others. They know how to play up simple backgrounds with great lighting, angles, and styling.

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JUCO

JUCO, comprised of Julia Galdo and Cody Cloud, are a photography duo that do it all. Their fashion photography contains highly saturated colors, incredible locations, patterns, textures, and even humor. You can tell that a lot of thought goes into the juxtaposition of their subject, the location, the clothing, and the props.

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Estevez & Beloso

Pablo Estévez and Javier Belloso comprise Estevez & Beloso. They've done work for Carbon Copy Magazine and Schon Magazine, in addition to a number of independent fashion stories that are mind-blowing. They are definitely on the come-up, and we expect to see a lot more of their work in magazines and ad campaigns.

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Driu + Tiago

Driu + Tiago do brilliant work together. Huge props for the latest spreads they've done for Wonderland and Amica magazines — from fierce nudes to stunning models in black and white.

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Jason Kibbler

Jason Kibbler knows sexy. Whether shooting for Vogue, Fringe, Armani, Interview, Harper's Bazaar, V, and more, he expertly captures the perfect facial and bodily expressions from his models.

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Ben Hassett

Ben Hassett shoots for Vogue, Numéro, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, and more, often abstracting elements of his images like hair, shadows, and poses. His work contains the boldness necessary for fashion photography but also the uniqueness and depth desired in fine art. He's done iconic ad campaigns for Calvin Klein Cosmetics, Bulgari, YSL Beauté, Lanvin, Burberry, L’Oreal, and Christian Dior Beauté.

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Conan Thai

Conan Thai's career is just beginning and in a very good way. Having so far done work for Fashionisto and various lookbooks, he creates incredible narrative-filled images that exude mystery, drama, and suspense in every way.

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Barbara Anastacio

Barbara Anastacio is a 25-year-old photographer who has already made giant contributions to fashion photography. Her work for BULLETT and Fiasco Magazines, paired with ad work for Versace, Burberry, and Prada, displays a mastery of her craft and attention to color and detail. At this rate, she'll be a legend before she's thirty.

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Thierry Le Gouès

Thierry Le Gouès has expertly balanced commercial and fine art fashion photography endeavors since the 90s. He's a pro at mixing colored gels to vibrantly light his subjects, as shown in the cover he photographed of Beyonce for Complex's August/September 2011 female cover.

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Jan Welters

Jan Welters continues to shoot for Paris, German, and American editions of Vogue, French and British Elle, Italian Glamour, Liberation Next, Mixte, Double, Details, and D la Repubblica. He's done incredible ad campaigns for Jil Sander, Mango, and Nina Ricci. Welters knows how to capture the darkness, mystery, and movement of fashion in a way all his own.

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Emma Summerton

There's something eerie and enticing about Emma Summerton's work. Whether for Agent Provocateur, Arena, Big, Dazed & Confused, Nylon, i-D, Ryoko Tsushin, Self Service, Strenesse, Terry De Havilland, Vogue, or Yves Saint Laurent, she knows how to capture rawness and femininity. It's no wonder that her client base keeps expanding, and that we keep seeing more and more of her images both in print and online.

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Mikael Jansson

Mikael Jansson makes fashion photography seem effortless. Whether one of the many Interview covers he's done, or work for Vogue Paris, Vogue Japan, W, Salvatore Ferragamo, H&M, Dior, Christopher Kane, Prada, or Michael Kors, he keeps things beautiful, balanced, and classic.

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Camilla Akrans

Camilla Akrans is in a league of her own when it comes to fashion photography. She has a deep understanding of what's sexy, provocative, and measured, and she does it all in her own way. It's hard to describe, but it's pretty clear that her images for Harper's Bazaar, Numéro, Vogue, H&M, BCBG, Herve Leger, and more do all the talking.

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Tony Kelly

If there's one word to describe Tony Kelly's work, it's ACTION. His work is vibrant and kinetic, and we're not just talking about the many awesome shoots he's done for Complex, which include Kate Upton, Justin Bieber, and most recently, Paulina Gretzky. His ad campaign work for American Apparel, Dynamite, and Triton have all been fantastic.

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Benjamin Alexander Huseby

Benjamin Alexander Huseby's work juxtaposes rich imagery with understated sexuality in a continuously bold way. Whether doing spreads for Acne Paper, Harper's Bazaar, V Magazine, British Vogue, i-D, British Vogue, and Self Service, or ad campaigns for Prada, H&M, and Uniqlo, his portfolio demonstrates a real understanding of the storytelling aspect of fashion photography. He also exhibits his work in a fine art capacity in galleries internationally.

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Giampaolo Sgura

Giampaolo Sgura's work can be found in Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Wonderland, and Hercules. His ad campaigns have been extremely impressive, whether for Balmain, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Roberto Cavalli, or Gucci. His work is some of the sexiest in fashion photography.

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Sharif Hamza

Sharif Hamza's work is always vibrant and colorful, perfectly capturing his subjects and what they're wearing. He's done work for Vogue, Dazed and Confused (including their Beyoncé cover and spread), V, W, and Garage.

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Greg Kadel

Greg Kadel's work is ubiquitous. His work continually appears in American Vogue, Vogue Italia, Vogue Nippon, Vogue UK, L'Uomo Vogue, French Vogue, Vogue Germany, Vogue China, Numéro, Numéro Homme, Visionaire, i-D, The Face, Another Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and more. His ad campaigns include iconic work for Valentino, Louis Vuitton, H&M, Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein, Diane von Fürstenberg, and Salvatore Ferragamo, with an equally impressive number of celebrity clients. He shoots in mostly (but not exclusively) black and white, often using higher contrast.

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Mario Sorrenti

Mario Sorrenti became well-known from his nudes for Vogue and Harper's Bazaar and ad campaigns for Calvin Klein. Always provocative and stunning, his work for W, Self Service, Vanity Fair, Another Man, Lancôme, Paco Rabanne, Benetton, and the Pirelli Calendar 2012 is equally impressive. He continues to shoot and show work internationally, including at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Museum of Modern Art.

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Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld is mostly known as the head designer and creative director of Chanel, but his photography career is lasting and impressive. Among his notable projects are Visionaire 23: The Emperor's New Clothes (series of nude models and celebrities), a 2005 V cover of Mariah Carey, a 2011 VMAN cover of Kanye West, and his 2012 Little Black Jacket exhibition.

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David LaChapelle

David LaChapelle was put on in the photography world by none other than Andy Warhol, who noticed his talent, and assigned him work for Interview Magazine. His work hasn't been strictly fashion or commercial, but much of his success can be attributed to his blurring of editorial, fine art, and fashion. He's shot iconic spreads, covers, and ad campaigns for Italian Vogue, French Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, and i-D, in addition to a plethora of celebrity portraiture. His style has retained its hyper-realistic, highly saturated aesthetic, often making social commentary.

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Alasdair McLellan

Alasdair McLellan's work can be found across publications, from W Magazine to Self Service, Vogue, V, LOVE, Another, i-D, and more. He's shot ad campaigns for Emporio Armani, David Beckham for H&M, Equipment, Calvin Klein, Y3, and Longchamp, and in 2012, he photographed the popular image of Kate Moss smoking a cigarette for Supreme.

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Craig McDean

Craig McDean had been trained as a car mechanic before studying photography. He began as an assistant to Nick Knight and did editorials for i-D and The Face, before getting noticed by Jil Sander, Calvin Klein, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, W, and Another Magazine. He now shoots campaigns for Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein, and Estée Lauder.

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Peter Lindbergh

Peter Lindbergh is a fashion photography icon, interpreting the medium ingeniously in both commercial and fine art capacities since the late 70s. He got his start at Vogue but was quickly noticed by The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Allure, and Rolling Stone. He shoots mostly in black and white, inspired by early German cinema and the Berlin art scene of the 1920s. In 1988, he shot Anna Wintour for her first cover of Vogue. In January 1990, he shot the iconic Vogue cover featuring Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington. Besides his commercial work, his 1986 exhibition put on by Comme des Garçons was a massive hit, his 1996 book 10 Women by Peter Lindbergh sold over 100k copies, and his shows and retrospectives at Bunkamura Museum of Art, the Met, and the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art have broken attendance records. He's ambitiously ventured into film and other genres of photography, always knowing how to create a classic image.

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Steven Klein

Steven Klein studied painting before moving into his career as a photographer. His ad campaigns for Calvin Klein, D&G, Alexander McQueen, and Nike, in addition to spreads and covers for Vogue, i-D, Numéro, W, and Arena, catapulted him quickly into a realm of the greats. He's collaborated extensively with Madonna, most notably on multiple W Magazine editorials and a traveling installation called X-STaTIC PRO=CeSS, which also included a limited-release book. His fashion photography, as a whole, has led him to work with other pop stars — Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Britney Spears — in both photo and film.

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Mariano Vivanco

Mariano Vivanco, like many photographers on this list, got his start at Dazed & Confused. While working for the magazine in 2001, he met and began collaborating with stylist Nicola Formichetti (now Lady Gaga's fashion director) on numerous iconic covers. Since, he's published seven books for Dolce & Gabbana and photographed extensively for Vogue Hommes Nippon, Numéro, Numéro Homme, i-D, Dazed & Confused, Hercules, Details, GQ Italy, GQ Spain, Wonderland, Allure, Elle, and Vogue. He has three portraits in the National Portrait Gallery, of Lily Cole, Nicola Formichetti, and Rafael Bonachella. Having shot a ton of celebrities at the early stages of their careers, he published the book Ninety Five Chapel Market in 2008, which included Seinna Miller, David Gandy, Lily Cole, and others. He has recently done extensive collaborations with Formichetti, Mugler, and Lady Gaga, which includes photographing her for i-D Magazine's "Exhibitionist Issue," wearing Mugler.

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Terry Richardson

Terry Richardson's name is nearly synonymous with fashion photography, if not the entire genre of photography itself. His past as a serious bass guitarist in a punk rock band suggested that he wouldn't follow in the footsteps of his photographer father, but he did, and has done incredibly well for himself. His style has always been highly sexualized and controversial, causing some to say that he's re-instilled rawness into fashion photography, and causing others to say that he takes it too far.

While his work includes — but is not limited to — fashion photography, he's shot for brands Marc Jacobs, Aldo, Supreme, Tom Ford, Yves Saint Laurent, and more, and has done covers and spreads for GQ, Vogue, Vanity Fair, i-D, Vice, Harper's Bazaar, Dazed and Confused, and others. He had his first solo show TERRYWOOD at OHWOW Gallery in LA earlier this year.

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Ellen von Unwerth

Ellen von Unwerth's style is erotic and feminine, with an understanding of beauty that's all her own. Interestingly enough, she was a model for ten years before pursuing a career as a photographer. The fashion world took notice of her skill after she shot Claudia Schiffer, and since, she's shot for Vogue, Vanity Fair, Interview, Arena, L'Uomo Vogue, and more, in addition to publishing books and winning countless awards. She's also known for shooting the early GUESS Jeans campaigns, which she shot again for the company's 30th anniversary.

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Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz is most known for her portrait photography and editorial work, most recently for a multitude of Vanity Fair issues since the 80s, yet her work crosses over to fashion. However, her career began as a staff photographer for Rolling Stone Magazine, which she eventually became chief photographer for. She went on tour with The Rolling Stones in 1975, work for Vanity Fair in 1980, and launch Numérous exhibitions, books, and collaborations since. Many of her images have a huge place in our culture today, including the December 8, 1980 image of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, five hours before he was shot and killed. She photographed Queen Elizabeth II for her official Virginia state visit picture and the controversial Miley Cyrus topless Vanity Fair cover.

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Juergen Teller

Juergen Teller's raw, overexposed style has made his work unmistakable. Mostly shooting in color, he has shot every Marc Jacobs campaign since 1998, including ones featuring celebrities like Winona Ryder, Sofia Coppola, Rufus Wainwright, M.I.A., and others. He tends to include himself in his photographs — in 2005, he photographed himself with Cindy Sherman for a Marc Jacobs ad. Teller also has close collaborative relationships with Helmut Lang, Yves Saint Laurent, Vivienne Westwood, and Céline. He has shown in a multitude of group and individual exhibitions, including at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Venice Biennale. In 2008, he and Marc released the book Juergen Teller: Marc Jacobs Advertising 1997-2008, which quickly sold out via pre-order.

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Rankin

John Rankin Waddell, who goes by the name, Rankin, has had an immense photography career so far, of which fashion is just the tip of the iceberg. He, along with his partner, Jefferson Hack, started Dazed & Confused magazine, and since, he's also started Another, Another Man, and HUNGER — all magazines that champion top-notch photography and art direction. His work for numerous other publications quickly became fine art exhibitions, ad campaigns, documentaries, and music videos, and he's found brilliant ways to connect his work with philanthropic efforts. In short, Rankin's influence as a fashion photographer has launched the careers of others to unexpectedly incredible proportions.

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Patrick Demarchelier

Patrick Demarchelier's career began to take off in the early 90s, when Elle, Marie Claire, 20 Ans Magazine, Vogue, and Harper's Bazaar took notice of his immense talent. He solidified a 12-year collaboration with Harper's Bazaar, has shot covers for nearly every major fashion magazine, and did iconic ad campaigns for Dior, Louis Vuitton, Celine, TAG Heuer, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Lacoste, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. In 2005, he was awarded the contract for the Pirelli calendar. He continues to be a force in fashion photography and has interestingly been referenced in The Devil Wears Prada, Sex and the City, and America's Next Top Model.

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Bruce Weber

Bruce Weber is legendary. He's shot some of the most iconic Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Versace ads to have ever been made, and continues to shoot for Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Elle, and Interview. He got his start at GQ in the late 70s, but received widespread recognition for his Calvin Klein ads in the late 80s and early 90s for his in-your-face black and white images of both heterosexual and homosexual couples. He has also collaborated extensively with Ralph Lauren and done music videos for the Pet Shop Boys.

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Mario Testino

Mario Testino is such an iconic and legendary photographer by now that it's hard to believe he grew up wanting to be a priest, or that he dyed his hair pink to get noticed when he did realize he wanted to be a photographer. He's shot an overwhelming number of celebrities and cultural icons, from Diana, the Princess of Wales to Emma Watson, Cameron Diaz, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Kristen Stewart, Gisele Bündchen, and Lady Gaga. He and stylist Carine Roitfeld are credited with reviving Gucci in the mid-90s with their groundbreaking, provocative ad campaigns. He's continued to shoot for nearly every magazine, in addition to Burberry, Gucci, Versace, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Salvatore Ferragamo, Estee Launder, Michael Kors, and more. He continues to receive royal commissions, and in 2002 had a massively successful show at The National Portrait Gallery in London titled Portraits, which went on to tour in other cities internationally.

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Steven Meisel

Steven Meisel's career started with work for Vogue and W. The fashion and music worlds became more aware of him through his photographs for Madonna's 1992 book, Sex. From a young age, he was obsessed with beauty and models, who at the time were Twiggy, Veruschka, and Jean Shrimpton. The story goes that at twelve years old, he would have his girl friends call agencies, pretending to be secretaries of Richard Avedon, so he could get pictures of the models. Although he studied fashion photography at Parsons, he got the attention of Seventeen Magazine, after they saw the portfolio photos he took for his model friends as favors. His career is also marked by launching the careers of designers, stylists, make-up artists, hair-stylists, and models who he "discovered," such as Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Kristy Turlington, Lara Stone, Coco Rocha, and Raquel Zimmerman, who he'd feature in Vogue and Prada ad campaigns. He's also credited for launching the career of Ross Van Der Heide after he showed his work to Anna Sui. He continues to photograph every cover of Vogue Italia, maintaining a close relationship with its editor-in-chief, Franca Sozzani.

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Inez & Vinoodh

Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin have been unstoppable since they joined forces in 1986. Their talent was noticed by the fashion world after they created successful fine art projects together, notably for Lawina, MoMA PS1, and BLVD Magazine. They've challenged, reinvented, and rejuvenated fashion photography in ways no one can deny, winning countless awards for their work with Vogue, Paris Vogue, Vogue Italia, W, Visionaire, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, L’Uomo Vogue, Interview, and others. They've also done iconic campaigns for houses Yves Saint Laurent, Balmain, Nina Ricci, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Isabel Marant, Giuseppe Zanotti, Lanvin Homme, Miu Miu, Balenciaga, Givenchy, and more. Their legacy thus far has been that of being pioneers in digital photography and creating a style of their own in the fashion photography world.

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Nick Knight

Nick Knight came up through fashion, beginning with a book of photographs titled Skinheads that he released in 1982 while still a student in the U.K. He was soon noticed by i-D Magazine, Yohji Yamamoto, and Peter Saville, and has now shot campaigns for the likes of Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein, Christian Dior, Jil Sander, Lancôme, Levi Strauss, Yves Saint Laurent, and more. He's shown work internationally and was even appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 Birthday Honors.

In November 2000, Knight launched SHOWStudio.com, a site dedicated to cutting-edge fashion media. It's been recognized as a huge contribution to the fashion world in its experimental nature and its wide variety of top-notch, influential contributors.

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Mert & Marcus

Mert & Marcus, who are Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, top the list for multiple reasons — the breadth of their work across publications (Vogue USA, Vogue Italia, W Magazine, Pop Magazine, Numéro, and more) and brands (Louis Vuitton, Missoni, Giorgio Armani, Roberto Cavalli, Fendi, Kenzo, Miu Miu, and more), their unique style since joining forces in the mid 90s, and their ability to make innovative use of digital technology. Their work boasts perfection, both in their photography and in the presentation of their subjects, which is a result of fine-tuned craft and attention to appearance. In the genre of fashion photography, where perfection is paramount, Mert & Marcus are undoubtedly, and continually, at the top of the game.

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