Since the invention of photography in the Nineteenth century, fashion photography developed as a specific and intentional means of portraiture, enabling artists to capture not only a person’s image, but also the subtle nuances of expression, and rich visual surroundings. Early photographer Adolphe Braun published a book of almost 300 photographs depicting the elaborate court garments of Virginia Oldoini, Countess di Castiglione. In the early Twentieth century, the establishment of fashion magazines such as Vogue, and its rival, Harper's Bazaar, increased interest in fashion photography and promoted the work of many “house” photographers. Innovators like Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon and …
Since the invention of photography in the Nineteenth century, fashion photography developed as a specific and intentional means of portraiture, enabling artists to capture not only a person’s image, but also the subtle nuances of expression, and rich visual surroundings. Early photographer Adolphe Braun published a book of almost 300 photographs depicting the elaborate court garments of Virginia Oldoini, Countess di Castiglione. In the early Twentieth century, the establishment of fashion magazines such as Vogue, and its rival, Harper's Bazaar, increased interest in fashion photography and promoted the work of many “house” photographers. Innovators like Cecil Beaton, Richard Avedon and Irving Penn changed the landscape of fashion photography as an art form with sumptuous, artfully lit images that often featured celebrities, models and notable socialites.
While the nature and equipment of fashion photography has changed throughout the last century, the desire to capture striking scenes of style, fantasy and beauty has remained—carried on by contemporary photographers such as Patrick McMullan, Andrea Blanch, Steven Meisel, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Ellen Von Unsworth, Guy Bourdin, Helmut Newton, and Annie Leibovitz.
