portraiture & celebrity photography Mar 2020

Bart's analogue photography can best be described as edgy, dark, rough, a little bit dirty, but often with a playful touch. 

Being in love with photography his whole life, Bart became known as a professional photographer after the release of his art-quality automotive books called 'A Flat6 love affair', bound and designed in a classic minimalistic style, selling over 5000 copies worldwide.

Bart's signature analogue black and white photography caught the eye of many artists around the globe, both in the music and film industry, resulting in powerful celebrity and portrait photography.

Staying true to his analogue workflow makes him an outsider in today's ever-changing digital world.

Carsten Fleck is an advertising photographer specialising in portrait, people and lifestyle photography with more then 20 years experience in the industry.

He loves the process of connecting with his subjects, letting them be who they are, capturing their personality and even more importantly showing their underlying humanity, that connects us all.

You can also find this approach in his personal work. Be it Germans who lived through WW2 talking about their experiences in “Shadow of War”, coming out stories in “Out, our voices” or people talking about the meaning of life in “Existcitement”.

During his career Carsten has worked with brands like Island Records, Samsung, Victoria’s Secret Beauty, London Fog, Con Edison and Der Spiegel.

Now living in Berlin, you can find him being involved in all kinds of photographic endeavours, or teaching yoga at the yoga school that he co-founded a few years ago.

Claudius Holzmann’s areas of expertise are people, fashion, advertising, beauty and lifestyle (with a real documentary feel) photography. He has been working as a professional photographer for over 25 years in Cape Town, Berlin, Miami and Düsseldorf, where he owns and runs his production agency, cream digital pictures, that offers photo and film production and post-production.

He works for the industry as well as for agencies, provides content for magazines, websites, ad campaigns and modelling agencies from around the world.

In 2008 he founded the “VIPs for charity" organisation in cooperation with UNESCO. He has portrayed more than 30 celebrities from various countries to raise money for children in need around the world.

“Fast as Schumacher”, someone once said about him. He always comes very fast to the point and creates a very easygoing atmosphere for his team and his clients. Nevertheless his work is high-professional and very unique in style and quality.

Daniele Colucciello is a Italian photographer and DoP based between London and Paris. He has been living in a few countries, such as Italy, Norway, United Kingdom and France.

His background is in the fashion industry, but he realised that his real calling is to create content through photography. He is always seeking stories to tell through images. 

Lately Daniele has been booked to photograph the ADV for Transavia, in the south of France. His internationality does not create limits when he has to deliver the picture to clients.

One of his latest projects is with the dancer Wing, where he created a mix of emotional moments with sport/dancing graphic pictures for Bose.

Henrik Knudsen is a Scandinavian master of lighting, imbuing every photo with an almost cinematic sense of space and story. His portraits are so atmospheric and full of narrative that they could easily be a still from your favourite movie. Each photo layers every image with meaning and interest.

Henrik brings his vision to some of the world's biggest brands including BA, the BBC and Vodafone.

Irwin Wong is an editorial and commercial photographer based in Tokyo. Originally from Melbourne, he moved to Japan in 2005. Known for his ability to interpret a wide range of subject matters, from billionaire CEOs to otaku gamers, Irwin’s portraiture is featured in a wide variety of magazines and advertisements, notably The Washington Post, The Hollywood Reporter and Forbes.

His technical and creative versatility in the field also makes him attractive towards travel, automotive and tech clients. Amongst them he has photographed for 1843, Christian Dior, Apple, Amazon, Mitsubishi Motors. He developed an interest in craftsmanship after photographing several artisans for work, and his first book, 'Handmade in Japan' will be published in June 2020 by Gestalten.

Visit Irwin's website for a portfolio of his past work. 

Jacobo Parra is a photographer and visual artist born in Monterrey, Mexico.

Aside from personal projects involving photography, Jacobo Parra has worked in the Mexican music scene, photographing albums, promotions and concerts, as well as shooting many images and commercials, corporate and advertisement  series for brands and organisations such as John Deere, Kansas City Southern de Mexico (Railroad Company) and Burger King among others.

Currently Parra is working mainly with portrait and commercial photography. You can see more of his work on his website and follow him on Instagram.

Marco Aste is an internationally commissioned advertising and editorial photographer specialising in celebrity portraiture, portraiture and interiors. 

Recognised for a conceptual approach, strong lighting and confident use of colour, he often collaborates with clients and brands at the very beginning of projects to develop creative solutions, working on the pitch through to final delivery.

He has worked with celebrities Sepp Blatter, Günter Netzer, Shawn Fielding, Udo Jürgens and many other public figures, people and models. His clients are banks, medical technology companies, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, retailers, advertising agencies and many editorial offices.

His clients include UBS, Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, DePuy Synthes, Bank J. Safra Sarasin, Straumann, Migros, COOP, Regan Campbell, Ward McCann New York, Weltwoche, BEEF, Servus, RedBull and many other clients.

Some of his latest work has been:

• Die Weltwoche, portraits
• Campaign for Danny Hawkwood
• OPO Oeschger portraits, with Therefore
• Straumann Group
• The 50Plus editorial

Michael shoots advertising, portrait and editorial work for entertainment industry clients, and beyond. His bold, atmospheric pictures sell the stories of film, TV, theatre productions and brands for nationwide advertising campaigns, while his portraits of actors, musicians and celebrities mix drama and personality with a nuanced eye for lighting and colour. 

Recent highlights include: shooting the ad campaign for Lionsgate's new feature film Summerland, starring Gemma Arterton and Penelope Wilton; work on the Jude Law-starring HBO series 'The Third Day'; album cover imagery for Decca Records' 'Mindful Mum'; portraits for Hollywood star Gugu Mbatha-Raw and hot young author Cash Carraway; and a number of high profile theatre campaigns that have been plastered across the London Underground, including Jane Austen adaptation 'The Watsons' and the nine-times Olivier-nominated Max Martin musical '& Juliet.'

Possessing a particular flair for lighting, Michael's personal work on ongoing projects like 'The Midnight Hour' and 'Car Stories', allows him to push his studio-based and location-lighting skills to the limit. His natural hair portrait 'Free Flow 'Fro', showcased the diverse hair and skin tones of nearly 50 non-professional sitters, with lighting states designed for darker skin tones, all taken in half a day!

Michael brings creativity and an easygoing manner to all his work, underpinned by detail, precision and flair.

He is an AOP member and Fellow of the BIPP.

"My name is Nicola Ughi and I like to steal people's soul. Yes, because that’s what people who are portrayed say about my work.

Portrait photography is a part of my job that I love most and gives me the greatest satisfaction.  I shoot corporate portraits for companies, but that's not all. In 2017 I began a project called "Sediarossa" (the red chair) in which I shoot famous people, and they aren't sitting on a red chair.

The red chair is, as I call it, my "non-place"; by sitting on it, those who let themselves be portrayed pause for a moment in front of the lens. It is the "fil-rouge" that unites many well-known and lesser-known faces in front of Nicola Ughi's lens."

"I’ve blocked this scene, in every night's dream, the camera cuts to close up." 

Like Hey Mercedes says in her song A-list Actress, when dreams become ideas that lead you to great photos, then it is always worth planning, realising, and directing.

Per Schorn, people and portrait photographer and director based in Frankfurt, shows his latest work including series for Nissin Noodles and Shell, shots of Dave Catching and Bingo Richey while they were in the studio recording new songs, director Dean Karr surrounded by his collection of film requisites, a portrait of Aaron Beck, a conceptual designer from Los Angeles, a lovely close up of DJ and producer Cold Blue and shots from Bisi Ezerioha who infuses futuristic technology into automobiles.

The original rock'n'roll photographer and one of the most renowned celebrity and portrait photographers on the planet.

PEROU has captured superstars and supermodels, clowns and crown princes, and later this year is releasing a book in collaboration with Marilyn Manson, the rock god, whom he has photographed and toured with for over 20 years. The results of which we can promise you will be both shocking and epic - a real visual feast.

When it comes to portrait and celebrity, Robert Wilson is at the very top of his game. Whether it is the power and physicality of sporting heroes Eddie Jones, Michael Carrick, Gary Lineker and Jenson Button, or the vulnerability of television stars John Bishop, Nadiya Hussain and Jamie Oliver, Robert has the rare ability to strip away the celebrity and reveal the person.

Follow Robert on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Robert is represented in London by Catherine Collins. You can follow Catherine on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Sam Thies lives and works in Australia as a visual artist, specialising in photography and film production.

His latest portraiture series, Village of Paradise, follows an anthropological journey through the remote villages of Oro Provence, Papua New Guinea, exploring the intersection of an ancient culture in a modern world.

"The scenery was so remarkable it felt unnatural to be masking it off with our portable white studio, but as we assembled the willing subjects from the nearby village and began our session, it soon became obvious why I had chosen this method. There was so much story to be read on their faces, bodies and clothing.

The isolation created by the white background enhanced their personal narratives removing the distraction of the surrounding environment. Any vulnerability or strength of character was exposed, revealing unique personalities with every portrait. Beyond the needs of our project the portable studio became a meeting place, a talking point and an instrument to start a face to face conversation with our new friends."

A photographer of immense style and grace, Stuart McClymont captures his subjects almost like a Renaissance portrait painter, carefully adjusting lighting and pose in order to create a strength and power in every image.

A favourite of celebrities, brands and style magazines, Stuart ensures that every subject and image looks wonderful whilst maintaining an essential truth.