portraiture & celebrity photography May 2014

Alexandra Lechner is based in Frankfurt/M and has focused on portrait, corporate, editorial and advertising photography for more than 15 years. Although she is part of a studio community, she mostly works on location.

Her natural and graphic style is the result of creative intuition and an understanding of light and composition. She has an ability to create a casual atmosphere for extraordinary but mainly honest images. Staged portraits, but also sensitively photographed stories can be found in her portfolio.

Working with a network of specialised partners, Alexandra offers full production management from one central source, demanding the highest quality support and organisation across all elements of a shoot.

Alexandra works for German agencies and magazines and shoots corporate communications for many leading companies. She speaks German, English and French and enjoys travelling for her clients.

Visit her website to see more of her work.

Axl Klein is a highly regarded German photographer specialising in advertising, people and industry images. He devotes much of his time to personal art projects. 'ZORN', his most recent project for Amnesty International, is currently catching the attention of both the press and the public.

Dustin Snipes is a Los Angeles based photographer and part-time Red Bull drinker. When he is not taking photos (or drinking Red Bull) he spends his time surfing or watching reruns of "How I Met Your Mother."

Dustin works frequently with major national and international publications and brands including Coca-Cola, Nike, Reebok, Gatorade, Red Bull, KFC, ESPN The Magazine, New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, 361º International, Men's Fitness, Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, SLAM, ESPN High School, Philadelphia Magazine, Maxim, and numerous others.

Awards include 2014 PDN Photo Annual - Magazine/Editorial; 2014 PDN Photo Annual - Photojournalism/Sports; 2013 Sportsshooter Photographer of the Year; 2013 One Eyeland - Sports -Silver and Bronze; 2011 Sportsshooter Photographer of the Year; 2011 American Photo Images of the Year - Best Portrait; 2009 American Photography Annual - AP24; 2009 Sportsshooter Photographer of the Year; 2008 Photo District News - PDN30.

"In a push-button world where everything is digital and everyone a photographer, ambience is distinction.

We all have different limits and you must sometimes see the edge to find yourself. Technology should be exploited, but you must know when to stop. It is not a repair kit.

I used to love life in the darkroom, but the printer is no lesser match. Although I usually know exactly where I want to go, things can still change before your eyes.

An actor’s portrait or a grand studio set-up, all I want is for you to see what I see."

Now based in the US, New York born and Buenos Aires raised Freddy Fabris has been working for the advertising and editorial industries for the last 18 years, shooting people, beauty and conceptual campaigns on different locations throughout the continent.

From pre- to post-production, his involvement with every project is profound and detailed, giving each one its own character and distinctiveness.

His clients includes Adidas, Dove, Rexona, Unilever, Axe, Turner, Panasonic, BMW, Toyota, Ford, Energizer, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Nutrasweet.

Gio Alma is a Miami-based, award winning, celebrity, portrait, fashion and advertising photographer whose photographs have illustrated (as form of editorial or advertising content) the pages of US Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, In Style, Glamour, Cigar Aficionado, Lucky, Cosmopolitan, USA Today, People, Ocean Drive among others.

His list of advertising clients include Nestlé USA, Colgate, American Airlines, Got Milk, General Motors, Apple iTunes, Cohiba, Mercedes-Benz, Sony and many more.

Gio has been assigned to photograph national and international celebrities, music talent and sports figures such as Tommy Lee Jones, Roberto Cavalli, Gloria Estefan, Bill Paxton, Ricky Martin, Dwyane Wade,  Andy Roddick, Shaquille O’Neal, Betsey Johnson, Philippe Starck, Alejandro Sanz and many more.

JJ Sulin was raised in Chicago and now resides in Brooklyn. He is a portrait photographer who shoots towards the slightly awkward, off–beat and in-between moments, using those elements to connect with the subject in the most human way. It is the same approach he takes when photographing still life or landscapes - looking for ways in which to humanise his surroundings.

Photographing real people, getting unexpected expressions and gestures are the driving forces of his work. JJ has been working with a wide range of advertising, design and editorial clients for over 12 years.

After studying art history and photography in college in Canada, Julian moved to Los Angeles where he assisted various photographers and worked on film productions and music videos. Having moved to New York City in 1996 he spent several years travelling to and from Europe for work, for a while living in Paris and London for up to a year at a time. Julian currently lives in Brooklyn.

In October 2010, Harper Perennial published 'Science Is Culture', featuring portraits of prominent scientists, artists, novelists and philosophers that Julian had photographed during a period of three years for SEED magazine. Julian works to portray a sense of space and time in his images and his strongest influences come from cinema. Location, lighting and mood are some of the most important elements within his photographs.

Editorial clients have included British Vogue, Men's Vogue, Marie Claire, Glamour, Saturday Telegraph Magazine, Sunday Times Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Guardian Weekend Magazine, ESPN Magazine, Rolling Stone, Wallpaper, W Magazine, Vanity Fair, Seed Magazine, Attitude Magazine, Art + Auction Magazine, Fast Company, People Magazine, Best Life, Ebony, Portfolio Magazine, German and British Vanity Fair, Domino, New York Magazine, Money Magazine, Men's Journal, Men’s Health, INC Magazine, Departures, Stern Magazine Oprah Magazine.

Advertising clients have included Orange, Hanes, Fortunoff, Pringle of Scotland, DHL, History Channel, Johnson & Johnson, VF Corporation, Goldman Sachs, Adobe, JP Morgan Chase, L’Oréal Paris, General Electric.

Native New Yorker Lee Page has been working in fashion and advertising photography since the 90s. Throughout his career, Lee has found unique ways to capture both spontaneous and well-composed moments that reflect his personal and professional aesthetics, seamlessly incorporating them into his final shots. Allowing the location to inspire him, Lee lets the environment work its natural magic.

Living and working out of his studio/loft in New York's Tribeca neighbourhood, Lee captures the best of lifestyle, fashion and beauty images. His long-time dedicated team of assistants, stylists, and producers consistently delivers exceptional results, on schedule and on budget, whether on location or in studio.

Clients include Anheuser-Busch, Miller Beer, Coors Brewing Co., Bacardi, Johnson & Johnson, Proctor & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Unilever, Phillip Morris, RJ Reynolds, Mercedes-Benz, ESPN, AT&T, Verizon, The Seagram Company, Discovery Channel, Arts & Entertainment Network, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Cephalon, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Pfizer, Hasbro, VF International, Kodak, Fuji Film, Canon USA, Sony USA, Goldman Sachs, United States Army, Clairol, Dove Soap, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Guinness, Captain Morgan, Coca-Cola and The Walt Disney Company.

Morgan Norman was born in 1976 in Stockholm, Sweden and graduated in Social Sciences before changing direction.

Today, Morgan is a well-known photographer focussed on fashion, portraiture and celebrities. His first big break was in 2008 when his work LIBIDO was featured in the permanent exhibition of the Nationalmuseum, Sweden's premier museum of art and design.

In 2009 he was selected for VICTOR by Hasselblad as a top international new-comer. Morgan has since travelled around the world for lots of prestigious clients including Philip Morris, Zenith and Cirque du Soleil as well as agencies such as ACNE, BBDO, Publicis and many others. During jobs for magazines like Vogue, Allure, Plaza and Collezioni, Morgan has worked with many celebrities including Ornela Muti, Mel Brooks, Tiesto and Felix Baumgartner.

Morgan is represented in Germany by PAM-Mirjam Böhm.

Paul Alexander has worked with some of this generation's biggest and brightest stars while executing global advertising campaigns for Miller Beer, Coca-Cola, Motorola and Jack Daniels. His work has been published in magazines such as L'Uomo Vogue, HELLO!, Vogue Sport, British ELLE, Cosmopolitan, MAXIM and Vogue UK.

"In work, I respect my clients’ wishes, deadlines, budgets and vision. In life, I respect those who have honour and integrity … but mostly, I respect those who try to understand others. By doing this, we all make the world a more beautiful place for trying."

Though Paul currently calls Toronto home, he has lived, worked and still maintains industry contacts in New York, Milan, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Athens, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Cape Town, Buenos Aires, Miami and London.

Russ Quackenbush creates visual images of humanity that reflect the qualities we cherish most in each other. In his portraiture, he gently documents the relics of a subject's life experiences as they unfold and present themselves in the emotions of their face, the language of their body, and the energy of their being.

Russ' photography gives us license to laugh, play, rejoice, or to mourn. It is through his images that we are led respectfully and thoughtfully into the life of another.

Currently, he has been working on Microsoft’s 'Honestly' campaign since October and is wrapping up his short documentary on a band called 'British Dependency'. Russ was invited on the bus for a short span of the trip and created a series of images that can be seen on the website, along with a short.

Sandro is an American portrait photographer known for his expressive images and his close work with John Malkovich and the other ensemble members of Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

At the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in July 2011, Sandro was acknowledged with a Saatchi & Saatchi 'Best New Director' award for his short video 'Butterflies' featuring John Malkovich. For the past five years, in juried competition within the industry, Sandro has been voted one of the top 200 advertising photographers in the world.

Sandro travelled to Morocco in November 2013 and shot portraits of 230 local tradesmen, nomadic people, snake charmers, fossil diggers, and Gnawa musicians.

In April 2014 Sandro spent three days photographing and filming John Malkovich for a collaborative project that will go public at the Catherine Edelman Gallery in Chicago in November 2014.

New York based photographer Steve Reganato has been working in the photographic industry for over 15 years, specialising in editorial, portraiture and fashion. He is known for his clean studio imagery and strong lighting and composition.

Steve enjoys the challenges of new and interesting environments and seeks situations that push his ingenuity and creativity. Lately, he has been sought out to shoot images of musicians and other rising talent from both management agencies and magazines.

Working outside of the mainstream, Steve's images have appeared in Fashionisto, Nuovo Magazine, Rising Magazine, Fanstaticsmag, and others.

Thomas Vanhaute is an Antwerp-based freelance photographer specialising in portrait and commercial photography. His photographic style is primarily defined by his profound understanding of refined lighting - be it through available daylight or a barrage of studio strobes. Together with the versatily he is known for - with assignments ranging from studio fashion shoots to capturing industrial structures all over the globe - these qualities make for a perfect match in today's demanding imaging business.

Thomas shoots advertising and corporate assignments for major advertising agencies such as VVL/BBDO, Famous, DuvalGuillaume, JWT, Ogilvy Brussels, LDV United, CHOCO, Y&R, and others. Clients include Belgacom, Q8, Jupiler, Voo, InBev, Chrysler, the Flemish Government, Puratos, NUON, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and more.

Thomas' editorial work has appeared in various magazines and newspapers such as Feeling, ELLE, Vitaya, Flair, Libelle, Sabato, De Morgen Magazine, De Standaard, De Volkskrant (NL), Le Temps (CH), and Ryuko Tsushin (JP).

Thomas is represented by whokilledjoe.be.