He has been referred to as a “gentle pioneer, and a worshipper of beauty,” so it’s no surprise that Patrick Demarchelier is considered to be one of the greatest photographers in the world. He has documented fashion for over three decades, and continues to share his visual treasures today…
Demarchelier’s contemporary images are a visual feast that brings the worlds biggest fashion labels swarming to his lens. His aesthetic perspective ranges from figurative and complex representations, to natural and realistic images, and the iconic lens-man has shot advertising campaigns for nearly every major fashion label in the world, including Dior, Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Versace, as well as covers for Rolling Stone, Glamour, Life, Newsweek, Elle and Mademoiselle.
At the recent 2015 CLIO awards in May, Demarchelier was honoured with the first-ever Clio Image Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Frenchman is internationally notorious for capturing authentic emotion. He puts his models at ease by creating fluid, fun and informal photo-shoots, and he takes pride in capturing images that are often surprising and spontaneous:“I like real laughter in my pictures.” Demarchelier’s artistic technique for a shoot is the same regardless of who he is shooting and the man aims to expose the sublime natural essence of his subjects whether they are a celebrity or not.
“Photography is like a moment, an instant. You need a half-second to get the photo, so it’s good to capture people when they are themselves.”
Demarchelier was born in 1943 in the small town of La Havre, near Paris. He developed a fondness for photography at age 17 when his stepfather gifted him an Eastman Kodak camera, and he began photographing friends at weddings thereafter, teaching himself how to retouch negatives and develop film in the process. At age 20 he ventured to Paris for a position at a photography laboratory, where he learnt the art of printing photographs for newspapers.
In 1975, Demarchelier left Paris for New York to follow his girlfriend. He discovered fashion photography while working as a freelance photographer and that year he began collaborating with well-known photographers Henri Cartier Bresson, Terry King and Jacque Guilbert, who were also in New York at the time. As his resume grew, so did his contact list – almost overnight he became one of the most in-demand photographers in the world of fashion and beauty.
Later on, in 1989, Demarchelier was directly requested by Princess Diana to be the royal families personal photographer; a significant occasion as it was the first time a non-British photographer had worked for the royals. His relationship lasted with the family until Princess Diana’s death in 1997, and perhaps his most famous photographs are his portraits of Diana with her sons. In fact, it was these images that played a significant role in creating Diana’s image of “the people’s princess.”
Having no formal qualifications, the self-taught photographic architect landed a position with Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar in 1992. This marked the beginning of a 12-year partnership with the elite label, and Demachelier’s legacy of work is available in his book ‘Patrick Demarchelier’. His deep compassion and respect for his colleagues and passion and love for his work make him a true master of photography.
To see more of the photography legend, check out Fashion Industry Broadcast’s Masters of photography vol 9 –Living LegendsÂ
Masters of Photography Vol 9 – Living Legends and the other 7 in the series are available as fixed format eBooks for $19.99 through all major online sellers including Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, Google Books and Kobo! You will be able to download a copy of this 200 page book to your preferred tablet device.
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A magazine style full colour Coffee table book for $45 and a hard cover book for $49.99 is available through Amazon Books globally with a purse sized version for $25 also being released soon.
