portraiture & celebrity photography May 2015

Alexander Khokhlov is a Moscow-based photographer renowned worldwide for his creative projects. Unconventional ideas and a daring approach to common shots is his calling card. Alexander's highly talked-about series 'Weird Beauty' and '2D or not 2D' were produced between 2012 and 2013 and became famous across the globe - '2D or not 2D' was included in Design Collector’s top 10 Russian projects of 2013.

The result of a reincarnation of Marge Simpson made by Alexander in 2014 was scary but attractive - the YouTube backstage video has received over 1,500 000 views and remains popular. The combination of unusual ideas, photographic skills and careful retouching helps him to create any visual solution - from amazing portraits and art-projects to peculiar collages for advertising.

His work has featured in global media including USA Today, CNN, Fox TV, NBC News, SBS (Australia), Scientific American MIND, Professional Photographer, Huffington Post, The Daily Mail, Wired, Holland Herald, Stern, 20 minutos, Phlearn.com and others. The work 'Silhouette' from his 'Weird Beauty' series featured in the book 'Illusion Confusion: The Wonderful World of Optical Deception' by Thames & Hudson (London).

Clients include Leo Burnett, Dubai Film Festival, KLM, Four Seasons Hotels, Scientific American, Saum und Viebahn, Make-up Atelier Paris and Symphonized Audio.

August Miller is a Salt Lake City, Utah-based photographer specialising in editorial, advertising and lifestyle photography. He believes in passion, hard work and love for what you do, and that photography is a team sport where when everything comes together, that’s when the magic happens.

His work has appeared in marketing and advertising campaigns for select clients as well as in the Sporting News, The Washington Post, New York Times, Harvard Business School Magazine, Super Lawyer Magazine, ESPN The Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated for Kids, People, Der Stern, Paris Match and Parade Magazine.

August has a background in the magazine, advertising and marketing industry with positions as a staff photographer and photo editor for local and national publications and companies which influence and inform his present work.

August is known for his calm demeanor, professionalism, problem solving skills and his ability to move seamlessly between projects of different size and scope.

Bernhard Kühmstedt is based in Munich and has shot numerous international celebrities including Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Jeff Koons, Pink, Heidi Klum, Justin Timberlake and many more. Virtually all German celebrities from the fields of music and entertainment have been photographed by Bernhard for editorial or advertising spreads. His skills with portraiture also make real people shoots one of his strong assets for advertising photography.

Regardless of whether the shoot lasts five minutes or stretches over a number of days involving a large crew or a small team, Bernhard always creates spontaneous and well composed moments with his subjects.

He also produces film projects and works worldwide, or from his loft-like studio in Munich.

Clients include Stern Magazine, Spiegel Magazine, Vogue, GQ, Rolling Stone, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Joy, Bunte, Gala, Musikexpress, Audi, BMG/Sony, EMI, Universal, Thyssen-Krupp Presta, Trumpf, Specktakulär and H+P.

Focused on fashion, portraits, and advertising photography, Nick Garcia is currently recognised among corporate and industry professionals for his ability to understand the intricacies of powerful images. His passion for both architecture and fashion has given him a very distinctive signature edge on image composition for environmental portraits.

As one of Miami’s top photographers, Nick has been trusted to shoot powerful personalities including Pele, Martina Navratilova, Roberto Coin, Facundo Bacardi and Emilio Estefan, among many others. From BlindLight Studio, he has become a regular contributor to national publications such as Time Inc., Modern Luxury, Niche Media, Haute Living, Billboard Magazine, Firebrand Media and Televisa International.

His vision has also gained the trust of recurrent clients such as Citi Group, InterContinental Hotels, St. Regis Hotels, and Procter and Gamble.

Bragi Thor, based in Reykjavik, has provided his photography services to editorial, industrial and corporate clients for more than 20 years. He is able to communicate with a wide range of clients and subjects and is proud of his skill of making people at ease in front of the camera.

Born and raised in Iceland, proclaimed by many to be the most beautiful country in the world, he is no stranger to grand epic landscapes or harsh environments. Rain or shine, snow or blizzard, he gets the job done and on time.

Bragi is a family man who loves to travel and has worked for various international clients, including The Globe and Mail, Dagens Nyheder, Wallpaper*, Monocle, The Wall Street Journal and Forbes Magazine, as well as many of the most prestigious companies and publications in Iceland.

Damian Bennett is based in Sydney and specialises in portraits, advertising and fashion. He works regularly for clients such as Rolling Stone, Instyle, Sunday Style, Sunday Life, Australian Women's Weekly, The Financial Review magazine, Grazia, The Good Weekend, and Women’s and Men’s Health. Advertising clients include Farage, Russell Athletic, Fayerform, Davenport, Macpherson Men, Qantas, Bendon, Gillette and Event Cinemas.

His list of portraits is rapidly  growing and consists of acclaimed actors and sports personalities such as Cate Blanchett, Russell Crowe, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, Will i Am, Mark Webber and Harry Kewell.

He is represented by UNION Management Sydney.

David Blattel brings a sense of adventure into every assignment that he photographs. Whether it's an advertising campaign or a corporate portrait, he infuses his images with high energy intensity and broad-based experience.

As an avid mountain climber, David is the 'pioneering photographer' who provided images of the first successful BASE jumps from El Capitan in Yosemite. In addition, he has filmed motion picture stunt scenes and offers motion abilities as well as photography to his clients. He even doubled for Michael Jackson in a skydiving scene during the famous Pepsi 'Chase' commercial.

David brings unbridled passion, meticulous perfection, and unique expertise to every assignment. Whether it's studio or location, lifestyle or still life, his love of shooting combined with his amazing genius for anything technical creates results that keep his clients coming back for more.

Clients include American Express, Westin Hotels, GM, Microsoft, St. Jude Medical, Wells Fargo, Disney, Canon, Mattel, Warner Bros. and Honda.

Since moving to the US from her native Germany, Ingrid Hertfelder has steadily built a career in the entertainment world, shooting stills and motion for music labels, PR companies and magazines.

Whether she is working on commercial, editorial, or fine art projects, Ingrid brings the same avid, poetic point of view to her photographs and studies of well-known musicians, artists, athletes and communities.

Ingrid lives in Los Angeles and works across the US and internationally.

An integral part of Jon Love’s personal approach is his natural talent with directing people in genuine, spontaneous moments. His versatility in refining a conceptual viewpoint has been refined through many years shooting in often complex environments, while maintaining great relationships with all involved.

With the ability to meticulously research every aspect prior to a job, he has returned with authentic solutions to portrait and people at work assignments from a wide range of global locations, with clients always happy with the results.

Assignments for major Australian and US companies, agencies and NGOs. Work has featured in Communication Arts and the Australian National Portrait Gallery.

Laura Crosta is a photographer and director who specialises in capturing people in authentic, natural lifestyle moments. Her warm, unencumbered, energetic style reflects her casual, straightforward approach to life and work. She creates images that tell stories, informed by her experience in the advertising and music industries, as well as her personal journalism projects. She has a passion for quirky projects, as seen in her study of Barbie dolls and the “I Date a Hooker” book for Blue Q, while also embracing quiet portraiture that elegantly reveals the personality of a subject.

Her work has taken her around the globe, where she nimbly and efficiently brings her vision to create compelling and compassionate imagery in any environment. She currently splits her time between Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

Clients and subjects include Lyft, Grey Goose, Paris Baguette, Microsoft, ESPN, Apple, Sony, Nike, Canon, Adidas, Mini, Toyota, Kelly Clarkson, Kiss, Michael Jordan, Ru Paul, Run DMC, George Clinton, Girltalk, Nasa, and most recently Sharon Van Etten.

Native New Yorker Lee Page has been working in fashion and advertising photography since the 90s. Living and working 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, Coors Brewing Co, Bacardi, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & 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, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Pfizer, Hasbro, VF International, Fuji Film, Canon USA, Sony USA, Goldman Sachs, United States Army, Clairol, Dove, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Guinness, Captain Morgan, Coca-Cola and The Walt Disney Company.

Leland Bobbé is a native New Yorker and an award-winning photographer who has been a professional for over 30 years. His work spans both the fine art and commercial worlds and has been shown in galleries and utilised by advertising agencies and corporations around the world.

His recent project titled 'Half-Drag... A different Kind of Beauty' has gone viral, appearing on thousands of websites, blogs and online art, fashion and design magazines in over 30 countries, including Vogue Italia, Huffington Post, ABC News, The Sundance Channel, MSN and AOL. He also appeared as the first guest speaker on the recently launched HuffPost Live discussing this project.

Leland is equally comfortable shooting real people or professional talent.

Clients include American Express, Bravo, Citibank, Dupont, Hyatt, Humana, Key Bank, MCI, Met Life, Pfizer, Sprint, Tecate, Tropicana, UPS and Visa.

"Every brand has stories to tell. Revealing and interpreting those stories, making them relevant to everyday life is our job. Our process is simple: a concept, a theme and an intuitive visual interpretation of it. To reveal the unexpected connections between our lives, we choose to immerse ourselves deeply and as invisibly as possible in the theme."

Over the past three decades, Marcelo Coelho has been recognised in the institutional, corporate and advertising fields by his real-life style of photography. Based in Belo Horizonte (Brazil) and Los Angeles (CA) he has travelled to 22 countries, working with major ad agencies, branding and design offices for clients such as United Airlines, Honda, Toyota, HBO, Wells Fargo Bank, Unilever, UCLA, The Los Angeles Times, J.D. Edwards, Embraer, Vale and The Government of Rio de Janeiro, among many others.

Living, working and playing amongst the mountains and beaches of the Pacific Northwest for the last 20 years, Mark Gribbon is entrenched in the active lifestyle showcased in his photos.

Whether shooting a mist-covered mountainside or the weathered face of a life-long fisherman, he brings a sense of graphic authenticity to his work that only someone on the inside can achieve. Mark's work showcases the depth and personality of his subjects while giving his audience a candid look into their lives and adventures.

With clients ranging from active lifestyle brands to tourism boards and world-class print media, Mark can produce shoots from conception to completion while ensuring his images enhance and capture the essence of a brand. Always one to play with textures, Mark is also known for blending natural and artificial light seamlessly in any conditions to craft images rich in texture and emotion while highlighting the character of his subjects.

Working worldwide from his studio in San Francisco's Mission District, Michael Winokur is a photographer, film-maker, writer and director. His photography, focused on people and portraiture, has been featured in a variety of publications and has received awards from the prestigious Graphis and American Photography annuals as well as from American Photographic Artists.

Michael's first narrative film, 'Selling Rosario', has won jury, directing, acting and audience awards at major film festivals. A background in journalism brings a storytelling approach to his clients, who include AAA Insurance, Safeway, Yoga Journal, Gilead Pharmaceuticals, Giant Creative Strategy, UCSF, EPA, INK Publishing, Redpoint Ventures and Intel.

Visit his website for more information.

Nadia Cheema, recognised as one of the most dynamic and exciting photographers, shoots both high fashion and commercial work. She always seeks to fulfill the needs and goals of her clients by engaging her uniquely artistic sensibilities.

Nadia is never satisfied, always seeking greater beauty and sophistication. Her work is haunting and memorable, and always right on point, which is why her clients love her!

Clients include Ferhn, The Paddock, Langsura, Suitly Apparel Inc., Sainte Genovefa, Nudy Patootie, PLAID Magazine, ANOKHI Magazine, Fashion Unlimited Magazine and CHAOS Magazine, to name a few.

Perou would like to think that there is nobody that he won't photograph. If time wasn't an issue, he might actually get around to photographing everyone! His ambition for photography world domination has led him to photograph some of the globe's most iconic names in music, fashion and Hollywood, including Jeff Bridges, Vivienne Westwood, Dita Von Teese and Helen Mirren (to name only a few). Perou even followed Marilyn Manson on a world tour and shot award-winning rockumentary 'God is in the TV'.

He continues to shoot fashion and editorial images for publications such as Vanity Fair, Q, The Guardian Magazine, Shortlist and Esquire.

Born in Rome, based in Italy and working worldwide, Roberta Krasnig's photographs have been published by national and international magazines including Vanity Fair, Officiel Paris, Officiel Italia, Vogue Japan, W Korea, Haper's Bazaar Brazil, House of Peroni, Cosmopolitan, Io Donna, Grazia, Gioia, Glamour, D della Repubblica, Gala, Pshycologies, Flair, and many more.

She is also photo-editor of the bi-annual magazine of art and fashion, Mia Le Journal.

Roberta's work focuses mainly on portraits. In the last two years, she has photographed most of the new wave of Italian actors. During her shoots, her main concern is to create a good feeling with the person she is photographying, going beyond shyness and resistance that many people have in front of the camera.

Roberta's photographs are highly polished and are characterised by strong composition, the result of continuous aesthetic research that makes them spontaneous, even if stylistically trademarked.

Born and raised in Italy, Rocco Ceselin completed studies in photography and creative design in Udine and polished his picture-taking skills inspired by the arts and culture of his country.

With his pioneering spirit and seeking a change of scenery, he made his way to Northern California to explore the vibrant outdoor environment. Rocco quickly gained a solid reputation as a photographer who captures the soul and spirit of the luxurious wine community that further developed his aptitude for taking memorable portraits.

In 2004, Rocco moved to Los Angeles to undertake new projects for clients including Emmy Magazine and fashion brands like 3rd & Army and Colorfast Apparel.

Shahar Tamir Studio specialises in portrait and commercial photography. Centrally located in Tel Aviv, the studio serves leading market brands and organisations as well as small businesses in Israel and Europe. Offering the highest quality professional photography services in the industry, it brings real value to its clients' work.

Shahar Tamir has been a professional freelance photographer since 2003. He is deeply passionate about his work and in particular loves sculpting with light. He brings exceptional creativity and sensitivity to every project, is a natural problem solver, and pays rigorous attention to detail. He is a team player who prides himself in fostering a warm working environment and creating a strong rapport with his clients.

He is a graduate of the Geographic Photography College in Tel Aviv. Shahar was born in 1977 and grew up in the Galilee region of northern Israel. He lives on a kibbutz with his wife and two daughters.

"I believe in working every day to achieve the highest quality and artistic experience; that line where art and commerce meet. It is with unique vision, well planned production and seamless execution that I do this with both large and small projects.

As a third generation shooter with a degree in painting, I bring a perspective unique in my field. Everything is approached with the preparation and research of an artist. Be it large, highly produced campaigns or intimate portraits and life style shoots, it all comes down to one thing: a clear vision for creation."

Steve Wilkie is a Toronto-based gallery and unit still photographer specialising in the film and television industry. For over 20 years, Steve has photographed all over Canada, covering both on set unit photography and large scale gallery shoots to support the marketing and publicity campaigns for each production.

Steve has developed a reputation for being easy to work with, collaborative, and understanding the publicity needs for each project. He is a member of IATSE Camera Local 667 in Toronto.

A selection of clients include NBC/Universal, BBC America, CBS, E one, CTV, Space, Nickelodeon, SyFy, Hallmark and Lionsgate.

Director/photographer Stewart Cohen is known for the subtle yet effective fashion in which he directs people, and for the enthusiasm and energy he brings to all assignments. His visual approach is honest, resonant, authentic and cinematic.

He moves seamlessly between large-scale productions and smaller intimate shoots, keeping his visual acuity sharp.

Visit his website to see more work and contact Stewart directly by email or by calling the studio +1 214.421.2186.

Stuart McClymont has been photographing professionally for over 18 years. He has a plethora of experience in shooting portraits and fashion imagery.

His passion for lifestyle photography is perfectly complimented by his vast technical knowledge; his love for his work makes every shoot a pleasure.

Stuart has built up an impressive commercial portfolio, shooting advertising campaigns for a broad spectrum of clients including Nike, Sony, Honda, BSkyB, Expresso Telecom, EasyJet, Remington, Police, Ralph Lauren, MTN, AA, Nokia and Sudatel.