portraiture & celebrity photography Nov 2015

"My work spans many different genres - from shooting people to focusing on things we wear, the things we eat, to the places we live, to the things we love, and the things we crave. I love to capture it all.

People ask me to help them tell stories through a lens. I can do that - I love it. I spend my time shooting in and out of my studio, and travelling when requested. I travel for fun when I can because I believe personal time is essential. I prefer to be outside. I try to surround myself with good hearts.

I love all kinds of music. I like pretending that I can play guitar. I often find myself staring in awe at my boys. I think my wife is cool as hell. Having grown up three blocks from Lambeau Field, I will always bleed green and gold. I will always have dogs. I love video games but never play. I will always want birds in my house but will never have one as it would make me sad. I want my boys to be older for certain things but I don't ever really want them to grow up. I will probably never be satisfied with my landscaping and garden. I will always want the feeling of a workout without any of the exercise.

I will always cringe at the act of explaining myself and then end up rambling on and on and on and on and on..."

Ben Van Hook is an American photographer and director known for his ability to craft beautiful, authentic imagery for global brands and agencies.

“Starting my career in journalism over 30 years ago shaped my view of the world. It’s based in creating photography and film that feels real and honest, in a slice of life kind of way. For me, creating an emotional connection in my work is the ultimate goal.”

Ben’s love of people and life is evident in his work. His clients include Johnson & Johnson, Philips, GlaxoSmithKline and Sports Illustrated.

Visit his website for more information.

Blake Little is an award-winning LA-based photographer known for his ability to capture the energy and personality of his subjects.

Starting with his portrait series of artists included David Hockney, John Baldessari and Ed Ruscha, Blake has photographed celebrities including Tom Cruise, Mike Myers, Jeff Bridges, Donald Trump, Julianne Moore, Steve Carell, Samuel L. Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Colin Powell, kd Lang, Brett Favre, 50 Cent, Glenn Close, Jane Fonda, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, and Jane Lynch, among many others.

His work has appeared on movie posters, magazine covers, book covers and in major ad campaigns. His corporate clients include Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Simon &Schuster, Penguin Random House, Virgin Atlantic and more.

Recently, Blake's 'Preservation Series' of fine art photographs captured international attention with successful gallery shows, while the accompanying video caused a social media sensation with more than 2.75 million views on YouTube.

Brian Bloom is an award-winning commercial and editorial photographer whose work was most recently selected in 2014 by American Photography 30.

At the root of his creative process is preparation. Beginning with hyper-focused pre-production, location scouting, and attention to minutia, it ends with an on-set environment that allows his subjects to be at ease for Brian to capture authentic, spontaneous images. He photographs landscapes, celebrities, athletes, and real people with a passion and affection for the unfiltered truth.

When he isn’t shooting, Brian can be found cycling in Prospect Park, Brooklyn attempting to keep up with his wife and five-year-old daughter.

Select clients include American Airlines, Lenovo, Alcatel-Lucent, Runner’s World, Dell, and Gadget Software. Brian is a Media Partner for 1% For The Planet.

With more than 40 international awards to his credit, including six World Press Awards, Donald Miralle has been recognised as one of the most innovative photographers in the industry for the past two decades.

Born and raised in Southern California, Donald graduated from Loyola H.S. and University of California, Los Angeles with a B.A. in Fine Arts. His artistic approach to his editorial and commercial photography has been sought by some of the largest agencies, publications, and brands to shoot the world’s greatest athletes and biggest events.

Donald has shot major brand campaigns for Nike, Discovery Channel, Dicks Sporting Goods, Target, Gatorade, Adidas, Ironman and the NFL Players Association, and his work has graced the covers and pages of The New York Times, Newsweek, Golf Digest, ESPN the Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Men’s Journal, Outside, and National Geographic.

Donald's work has been profiled in publications including Photo District News, British Journal of Photography, The Holland Times, The San Diego Union Tribune, and Top Magazine in Brazil, as well as on TV shows like ESPN, Entertainment TV, and the Today Show.

Donald has served as a keynote speaker at many international events and is also the founder and owner of Leucadia Photoworks, the only full service studio and photographer collective in North County San Diego.

After working for 25 years for various international clients and with numerous advertising agencies around the globe, photographer Frank P. Wartenberg recently rediscovered his everlasting passion for pure portrait photography.

Over the years, celebrities like Naomi Campbell, Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, Jessica Alba, Sarah Connor, Nadja Auermann, Monica Cruz, Tricia Helfer, Heidi Klum and Steffi Graf have stood in front of Frank's camera.

At this point in time, German celebrities have awoken his interest and so Frank travels all over the Federal Republic of Germany to portray the country's most interesting personalities. From St. Peter-Ording to Munich, from Cologne to Berlin, artists like Lavinia Wilson, Oliver Nägele, Max Tidof, Ken Duken, Liv Lisa Fries, Andrea Sawatzki, Natalia Wörner, Adnan Maral and Christian Berkel have visibly enjoyed working with Frank.

"Strong, vivid, unusual: we let the pictures speak for themselves!"

"Portraits capture the beauty of faces, marked by life, in a single snapshot. We are all born with a more or less 'unspoken' expression. As we age, our face expresses our personality more and more. And it also reflects our individual experiences. It is my ambition to portray faces in such a way the viewer still has to discover the person in the photo."

Gwenny Eeckels loves the art and craf aspects of 'old' photography but is also very fond of more accessible and commercial digital photography. From darkroom to lightroom to on the screen, a huge (r)evolution, Gwenny specialises in portrait, fashion and commercial photography.

Bad-boy celebrity, ex-convict, reclusive author? Everyone has a story, and telling those stories keeps Harry Zernike going.

"Wielding a camera is like having a license to enter worlds I might otherwise never see. I can be a fly on the wall, listening and looking, but when direction is called for I’m happy to accost strangers, or tell dignitaries to hug. The aim is always to make pictures with with candor and humanity, and sometimes a bit of humour."

Since starting out as a photojournalist with Gamma Press in 1999, it has been Harry's good fortune to be awarded the Johnson & Johnson/ICP travelling fellowship, to have his work exhibited at ICP and The Bicycle Film Festival, and to have been recognised in the PDN Photo Annual and The Magenta Foundation’s Compendium of the best Canadian Photographers (Yes, Harry is Canadian. And Dutch. But mostly American).

His approach to image-making is continually evolving, but at the end of the day he says, "I like to follow my curiosity, and feel lucky to be able to do so."

Specialised in portrait, lifestyle and people, Jan Kocovski's style demonstrates great attention to detail. His personal experience, skill and style create intense images, and his ability to work conceptually and offer visual solutions is beneficial for every client.

Jan’s recent clients include SAP, Michelin, Estée Lauder, Amazon, Kia Motors, LSG SkyChefs, Boehringer Ingelheim, AXA, Galeria Kaufhof, Bosch, Iglo, Degussa, EWR, Nassauische Sparkasse and Pro7.

Alongside his production team, Jan consistently creates seamless productions and stunning imagery and is well equipped to take care of every aspect of location assignments.

Jan works from his 360 m² studio, featuring a great variety of lighting equipment - both for indoor and outdoor use - as well as an extensive image archive that complements the studio's services. In-house post-production covers all areas of image processing.

Whether it’s having eight minutes to capture Kate Winslet, or disarming road-weary rock stars, award-winning New York-based photographer Jayme Thornton feels his way into the tiny openings of insight that make great portraits.

Recent clients include Comedy Central, Sony Music, Def Jam Records, Italian Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Jason Wu, Hugo Boss and Rockport.

Jeremy Shaw has quickly established himself as a sought-after image-maker. Studying at both the National Arts School and the Australian Centre for Photography in Sydney, then going on to assist Australia’s top advertising photographers, he believes learning and practising the craft is a never-ending process.

Jeremy surrounds himself with a diverse collective of creatives which brings a different perspective and opinion, helping to enrich the process of creating his photography. Juggling time between personal work and commissioned work is extremely important for him, while producing personal projects helps him to stand out while identifying who he is as a photographer. In 2013 and 2015, Jeremy was selected as a finalist for one of Australia's most prestigious photography awards, The National Portrait Prize.

Jeremy excels in problem solving and collaborating to come to a creative solution, concentrating on delivering successful campaigns that demonstrate a close and creative attention to detail.

Jeremy works out of his studio in Chippendale, Sydney.

New York based advertising, editorial and corporate photographer Keith Barraclough is energetic, engaging, professional and personable.

His creative and collaborative style, as well as being able to work in numerous fast-paced, high pressure environments makes him a valuable asset to a wide range of clients.

One of Keith’s passions is working on personal projects. His most recent being 'The Redhead Project', whose portraits showcase his ability to capture compelling images of everyday subjects while putting the camera-shy at ease.

For more images and information visit his website.

Neil Kremer and Cory Johnson are a photography team specialising in environmental, studio, and narrative portraiture. Their images are both stylized and authentic, showcasing their subjects in engaging and impactful ways.

True collaborators at heart, they formed Kremer Johnson Photography to explore their combined creative vision. They share in all duties from conceptualisation through shooting and post.

Together they create images for editorial, corporate, and advertising clients nationwide. Their most recent work includes national campaigns for CBS, Braun and Hulu.

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.

He is equally comfortable shooting real people or professional talent either in the studio or on location. He takes pride in his ability to direct and make his subjects feel at ease in front of the camera, resulting in real and honest looking portraits.

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. These images have been used for advertising campaigns in Europe as well as numerous book covers. He also appeared as the first guest speaker on the recently launched HuffPost Live where he discussed this project.

Clients Include American Express, Bravo, Citibank, CIT, Dupont, Hyatt, Humana Health, Key Bank, MCI, Met Life, Pfizer, Sprint, Tecate Beer, Toshiba, Tropicana, UPS and Visa.

Marta Kochanek specialises in creative portraiture and lifestyle photography. She concentrates on people and what surrounds them, often choosing industrial or abandoned locations and applying a cinematic touch to her shoots. It is this style that separates Marta’s photography from others, creating a greater degree of narrative and emotion through a cinematic approach to lighting and play between subjects.

Originally from Poland, Marta came to the UK in 2005 where she successfully continues her career. In 2011 she was offered the opportunity to spearhead a large, independent archival project for Annie Leibovitz in New York. She then joined the Production Team and assisted Ms Leibovitz on set for shoots for Vogue and Vanity Fair.

Her photographs have been shown several times in both group and solo exhibitions, including Mall Galleries in London, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

Marta’s works appeared in numerous publications including The Times and Intelligent Life Magazine. She has also conducted a photography campaign for the Birmingham Royal Ballet for their 25th anniversary. Her awards include PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris, IAA - International Aperture Awards, IPA - International Photography Awards, as well as Art Kudos.

Recent clients include Intelligent Life Magazine, Birmingham Royal Ballet, CENTRO and BikeRights.

Meghan Paddock Farrell grew up in a small New England town in Rhode Island. Photography has always been a part of her life. She lived in a house with a dark room in the basement that her father built, filled with chests of glass negatives and daguerreotypes of family members stemming back hundreds of years.

These old photographs made a huge impact. Meghan was lucky enough to go to a high school with a photography department. By the time she got to college she knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life.

She received a BFA in Photography in 2001 and has been working in the field ever since. She has spent the past 14 years honing her photoshop skills as a retoucher for some of the top photographers in the business. Her passion for photography, combined with her retouching skills, make her a powerhouse.

Mitchel Gray is a photographer and author with two best-selling photo books to his credit, 'The Lingerie Book' and 'Lingerie Fantasies' (St. Martin’s Press). He has two new books currently in production and has illustrated many more, particularly in the active lifestyle and health and fitness fields.

Mitchel has photographed over 60 magazine covers, including about 30 for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, M & F Hers, Runner’s World, Mountain Bike, Bicycling, Fitness and more.

He has shot many hundreds of magazine and ad pages for publications and ad agencies around the world. Much of his portrait work in recent years has focused on sports celebrities ranging from Tom Brady to Derek Jeter, and a whole lot of people in between. His fine art work has been shown in galleries in both the United States and Europe.

Mitchel is presently partnering with the United States Olympic Committee and the New York Athletic Club on a a new fine art series, 'Bodies in Action', part of which has already been featured in the National Art Museum of Sport, and for which a new show has been scheduled in June 2016. Elements of the series are featured in a previous Spotlight.

Nick Aldridge is a portrait photographer from Cape Town, South Africa, known for creating soulful, beautifully crafted images that connect deeply with his subjects.

Equally comfortable in the studio or on location, shooting from the hip or composing complex images for post-production, Nick’s work has appeared in hundreds of magazine features and numerous advertising campaigns. 

Past portrait clients include Der Spiegel, The Guardian, Engen, Nederburg, Alere Global, Runner’s World, Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Marie Claire and Bicycling Magazine, and many others.

Over the years he has photographed Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Kingsley Holgate, Haile Gebrselassie and hundreds of other politicians, actors, chefs, athletes, swamis and artists.

Nick is available to travel anywhere in the world and is extremely comfortable in Southern Africa and other developing nations.

PEROU - photographer, director, TV-glitch and chicken farmer - which just goes to show he can’t be pigeonholed.

PEROU would like to think that there isn’t anyone that he wouldn’t photograph, which has led him to photograph some of the world's most iconic names in music, fashion and Hollywood, including Jay Z, Vivienne Westwood, Dita Von Teese and Helen Mirren (to name only a few).

PEROU shot the award winning rockumentary 'God is in the TV' about Marilyn Manson. He continues to shoot fashion and editorial images for publications such as Vanity Fair, Q, The Guardian Magazine, Shortlist and Esquire to name a few. This year he has also shot advertising campaigns for Adidas, Pearl Drops, Levi's, Thai Airways and Gold by Jay Z.

Peter Baiamonte wants to tell a story, give a glimpse of a place, show some personality and reveal some meaning behind his images.

His strengths include clean storytelling, rigorous composition, vibrant colours, creative problem solving and an ability to connect with his subjects, setting them at ease and making their time in front of the camera comfortable. He also excels at assembling an excellent crew, working collaboratively with clients and creating a friendly, happy vibe on set.

Peter’s work includes many styles and disciplines: portraiture, lifestyle, landscape, travel, and sports, among others. He splits his time between New York City and the Massachusetts Berkshires, working regularly with clients in New York and Boston as well as the entirety of New England. He is available to travel worldwide.

His clients have included Ernst & Young, Con Edison, Panasonic, Bayer, Harrison and Star, Novartis and Teva Neuroscience.

With clients already in Europe and his homeland Germany, Peter Lueders is now also working in Los Angeles and from his photo studio based in downtown New York.

Peter shoots a variety of genres with some of his fashion and beauty images appearing in advertising for REDKEN, Pureology and Matrix.

His other clients include various Estée Lauder brands and Mercedes-Benz, while his portraiture and celebrity work has appeared in publications such as Der Spiegel, L’Officiel, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Gala, Stern, Lufthansa Magazine and Fitforfun.

Based in Hamburg, Phillip Gätz is known for his exceptional talent in capturing eclectic moments. His skills include people, portrait, fashion, reportage and still-life photography, often combining attention-based dynamism, relationships and salacious boundaries that are transgressed or connected to people and emotions.

Phillip has been commissioned by many German clients and magazines to shoot celebrities ranging from top-ranking politicians, to actors and leading international athletes.

Owing to his down-to-earth and straightforward attitude, Phillip is flexible and experienced enough to work in all manner of indoor or outdoor locations as well as in any type of studio. He enjoys a comprehensive network for strong collaboration and partnerships in the business and beyond.

Phillip works on commission with many major German agencies for clients ranging from Coca-Cola to Microsoft, Seat and many more. His editorial publications have been commissioned by magazines like Elle, Ramp, Gala Men, Cosmopolitan, Spiegel, Stern, Vice and numerous more.

People. When Bob Houser is telling a story, it’s about the people. Connecting with his subjects, with what they are doing, making it genuine - it’s what makes his work real. Whether he is working with athletes, models, executives or everyday folks, Bob engages, finds a thread, and puts them at ease.

2015 has already brought Bob 12,000 miles around the US for fitness and healthcare projects. Back at home on his San Francisco Bay Area ranch in the Oakland hills, he gets to play in his 7000 square foot outdoor studio next to the big red barn, and stays busy tending to his goats, chickens, bees and two teenagers.

Bob is an award-winning photographer specialising in people for advertising and editorial clients. He has photographed around the world for clients including Forbes, Outside Magazine, Wired, Fitness, Bicycling Magazine, Genentech, Title Nine, Visa, Safeway, MobiTV, Wells Fargo and Sanofi, among others. He and his team can tackle projects of any size and he has relationships with crew across the US.

Robert Wilson continues his productive collaboration with The Times Magazine, working with some of the finest actors, athletes and all-round national treasures.

A small selection is featured in this Spotlight, but for more go to Robert's website.

For updates, follow Robert on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Gallery One and a Half and Robert Wilson's internationally acclaimed ‘Helmand Return’ exhibition continues at National Museums Scotland until March 2016.

Robert is represented in London by Catherine Collins.

Sally Peterson is an award-wining photographer based in Los Angeles. A graduate of the Art Center College of Design, her photographs have been featured in magazines including Time, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, New York Magazine, Adbusters, and Paper; countless online outlets such as Slate, PDN, and Yahoo Beauty; as well as in gallery exhibitions at MOPLA, Gallery Photographia, and Williamson Gallery.

She is currently at work on 'One Hundred', a portrait book from her series of one hundred international centenarians.

Her vast experience documenting people from all walks of life in as many environments – from centenarians in a remote Yucatan village to Academy-Award winning celebrities in hotels on tight schedules – gives her a swift, improvisational shooting style, which results in photos that organically reveal dignity and beauty.

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.

Tal Givony is known for clean, edgy imagery that is used in magazines and major ad campaigns across a range of industries internationally.

"I consider myself to be a citizen of the world. Hence, the places I draw inspiration from are vast and the resources are inexhaustible. Having said that, you could most likely find me either in Tel Aviv or New York.“

Some of his recent work includes shooting Claire Danes for the popular Showtime series 'Homeland'.

Ty Foster grew up in Connecticut and began his career as an insurance underwriter and, to his dismay, realised there was no photographer position inside the company. Promptly quitting, he photographed anything he could get his lens in front of and settled on animals.

Ty is a published author as well as an internationally recognised animal photographer whose work has been seen on ABC, MSN, The London Times and The Daily Mail.

When Ty isn’t photographing he is spending copious amounts of time outdoors or dreaming of travelling.

Globally renowned celebrity and portrait photographer Veronique Vial is famous for her b/w books, ‘Women and Men Before 10am’. Veronique has published over 12 books, is the official photographer for Cirque du Soleil and is about to embark on a worldwide exhibition with her latest book for the troupe called ‘Backstage’.

Based between London, Paris and LA, Veronique has a natural ability to make people feel instantly at ease in front of the lens.

Her natural style has lead her to shoot worldwide campaigns for Dove, Longines, Ford, Johnson&Johnson, Vaseline, Head & Shoulders, Clairol, Olay, Purina, Nestlé and Patek Philippe.

Click through to the Mutton Bones website to view more.