now that i'm finished with the work i had to do, i can devote some time to coming up with my list.
first of all, i'm coming from a predominantly fine art photography background, so that's where my passion lies, but there are several fashion photogs in my list.
sarah moon. i'm continually floored by her work, regardless of how many times i see it.
robert parke-harrison. he's not a fashion photographer, but his work is meticulous and symbolic without being regurgitated or contrived. he and his wife work together, and if you've ever seen it up close, in real life, it will take your breath away. here is one of my favorite images.
inez and vinoodh. i love the work they did with bjork and the balenciaga ads from a few seasons back.
paolo roversi. like sarah moon, his work resonates with me for its other-dimensional quality, and it's unique timelessness. it's not your straight-up photography work, it's non-linear and keeps me looking for its secrets inside. the same could be said for moon, though in its way it's obviously different.
uta barth. uta's work intrigues me because it's
unlikely. the directionals are odd, as well as the focal points and the distribution of content.
john s. vitale. he was featured in surface's avant guardian show last year.
there are a
TON more, but those are some off the top of my head. i find photographers like david lachepelle and terry richardson completely overrated. they do nothing for me visually or emotionally. the classics like herb ritts, anton corbijn and others are obviously good, but their images don't interest me at all anymore. it's just totally not my style. i view things like this in the way that i'd want to hang it on my wall and be proud to say that i like it. i could never hang a lachapelle on my wall. it's just not what i want to look at.