fashion & beauty photography Dec 2007

Photographer Andrea Blanch's work is diverse, powerful and sensual. Beginning as an assistant for Avedon and working with Rolling Stone, Johnny Walker, Vogue, and Valentino, as well as for Universal Films and such noted personalities as Bill Murray, Glenn Close, Eli Weisel, and Monica Belluci, Blanch has only recently begun to pursue the many visual interests that inspire her.

Her love of painting, fashion, and portraiture has created a broad body of work which continues growing in terms of style and content. Her experimentation in the digital darkroom has created new, unique conceptions including a sell-out gallery exhibition of photo-montages.

She is currently working on her second book, focusing on the subject of youth, and also on a side project that deals with the end of relationships.

Axel Kranz shoots fashion and beauty photography for editorials and advertising.

He is based between Berlin and Düsseldorf.

He says of his approach to his work "It is important for me to fulfil every clients' task in a very individual manner."

Cathrin Jo Ann Wind established WINcommunication, an advertising company based in Aachen, in 1997. A team of 34 designers, art directors and accountants work for national and international clients such as Betsey Johnson, Colorful Licenses, Oilily, Janssen Cosmeceutical Care, ARTDECO, and C:EHKO, developing powerful campaigns with strong visual impact.

Many years of experience with advertising campaigns led to Cathrin's decision to handle photography herself. This combinition of the well-trained eye of the creative director and the sensitive, emotional approach of the photographer opens a whole new world of posibilities.

The well equipped WINphotography studio covers an area of 200 sqm and forms part of the agency's building, offering high quality on-site photography and post production facilities.

London-based photographic duo Diver and Aguilar have been working together for two years. In 2007 they took the editorial and advertising markets by storm.

Their collaboration has seen them shoot for International Harper's Bazaar, Golden age of Couture (V&A), editorials for Chanel in Paris and regular work for Conde Nast and The Financial Times.

On a recent trip to L.A. they captured Oscar-winning Hollywood actor Adrien Brody for Hachette Rusconi publications. The pair also added to work they are producing for a book on Native Americans.

Most recently they picked up an EPICA, Europe's premier advertising industry award for their work with agency Caldas Naya.

The pair are currently working on a new international campaign for Coca Cola, and expect 2008 to be an exciting and successful year that adds to an already impressive list of achievements.

New York City-based fashion photographer Eros Messina of Fizz Photography continues to grow and acquire new clients, a selection of which currently includes: Ambrosi, Leo Burnett, K-mart, Sears, Mi'ngks, and Zac Posen.

His recent collaboration with fashion designer Zac Posen involved shooting the Spring/Summer 2008 handbag collection. Working directly for Mi'ngks, Eros shot the Look Book for their Spring 2008 collection.

Other recent photography projects include the Zac Posen Spring/Summer 2007 fashion collection and the Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2007/2008 collection.

Maintaining his collaboration with Ford Model Agency, he has also looked to extend his relationship with Women Model Management.

Eros is currently working on new projects for men's editorial stories with fashion collections from John Galliano and Prada.

Photographer Günther Kathrein has been as busy as ever. A selection of his latest jobs include:

• The worldwide body and leg-wear campaign for Giorgio Armani.
• A global campaign for Odlo-International.
• A European image campaign for Olymp.
• An editorial 'Trendsetter Baths' for Splash.
• A pilot campaign for Basler Insurance.
• Günther was proud to have a rare chance of shooting with top models Werner Schreyer and Anna Krolicka, along with Elite-Model Look winner Nina from Zurich, for the Europe-wide 08 Booklet.

Amsterdam-based photographer Hans de Vries specialises in fashion and beauty photography.

His curriculum includes clients such as Keune Haircosmetics, Samsung, Maybelline, Men's Health, Portuguese Vogue and many others.

Hans is represented by Absolu Management.

Klaus Kampert is a freelance photographer working out of his Duesseldorf studio. He specialises in beauty, portraiture, advertising, nude and dance photography.

His picture language is plain and pure with a touch of sensitivity. Klaus is a light 'maniac', and is able to create glorious cosmetic skin-surfaces in a display of extreme light.

His clients include Audi, Beiersdorf, Boss, Grünenthal, Merz, and Puma.

His nude and dance images have been published in numerous international publications, and are highly sought by collectors. His latest publication is a calendar with the ballet of the 'Deutsche Opera am Rhein'.

Linnandrobert are back in town after a busy autumn shooting in NYC, Miami, Buenos Aires and of course Barcelona, where they recently opened a photo studio. (More on that in the next issue).

The featured shots are extracts from two editorials for British and Scandinavian magazines shot in Barcelona.

Unlike many other double-acts, Linn and Robert shoot simultaneously. Their approach can be compared to a film set where multiple cameras shoot at the same time. This creates an  entirely new dynamic and dimension.

Linnandrobert are represented in Germany by Katinka Krieger.

Nute Nicholson is known for his clean graphic style of fashion and commercial photography. The Virginia-bred photographer found his true 'visual voice' during ten years of living and working throughout Europe, where he also perfected his unique style of shooting exclusively with a large format 8x10 camera.

Nicholson continues to work from his Brooklyn-based studio for clients including Urban Outfitters/Free People, Adidas, Sony, EMI/Virgin Records, and numerous editorial clients.

Nicholson's first book, "Pashion", is due out in December 2008, a retrospect compiled from journals, fashion works, and personal musings from Milan, Paris, London and New York. Nicholson has also begun work publishing a high end, quarterly art-based fashion publication "FELT", due to release in spring 2008.

Seb Michel works worldwide and is represented in London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Zurich and Cape Town.

He is preparing his next production in Argentina for a selection of editorial projects this coming winter.

Clients include: Hermes, l'Oreal, Swatch, Murphy&Nye, Winston and Baume&Mercier.

His sensitivity and love for light have enabled the photographer to communicate his emotions through highly sophisticated images.

Steffen Hofemann's photography is a unique symbiosis of snapshot and perfection that plays with different lighting and camera techniques. His work is an homage to female beauty, showing girls in all kinds of authentic, dynamic, lively situations, always with a passionate approach towards emotion and sensuality.

His pictures are both indoor and outdoor, warm and fresh, sexy and energetic.

Amongst his clients are Nivea, Garnier, Lufthansa, Puma-Fragrance, C&A, Otto, Vattenfall, Tui, Scheller Cosmetics, Casio, and Fuji.