Fashion photographer Steven Meisel

Stephen Meisel is one of those who have been familiar with the world of show business since childhood. He was born in 1954 in New York. His mother was half English, half Irish, and she had once wanted to be a singer. Russian and Jewish blood flowed in the veins of his father. Together with his parents, Stephen lived in the heart of New York - in Manhattan. Later in the city of Port Washington. His father worked for London Records. It was thanks to his father that Stephen in childhood was able to see such celebrities as Frank Sinatra, The Beatles.

Steven has been interested in the world of beauty and fashion since childhood. While the other boys were playing quite boyish games, Stephen drew. He was inspired by illustrations from magazines such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. He was fascinated by the beauty of Gloria Guines and Barbara Mortimer Paley, who were not only beauties, but also real representatives of high society; he also considered his mother and sister to be the ideals of female beauty.

The passion and interest in the fashion world was so great that in the end Stephen decided to take serious action, so at the age of 12 he persuades several of his girlfriends to call a modeling agency and, posing as secretaries of photographer Richard Avedon, arrange shooting with such models as Twiggy and Verushka.

After graduation, Steven Meisel studies at the Graduate School of Art and Design, as well as at the Parsons School of Design (later Steven Meisel will return to the Parsons School as a teacher). But his specialization is not photography, but fashion illustration.

After completing his studies, Steven Meisel works as a fashion illustrator for Women's Wear Daily. But he is still attracted by the art of photography, and he also understands that for all its beauty, fashion illustration fades into the background, in the first place today is photography. Stephen admires photographers such as Irving Penn, Richard Avedon and Bert Stern. And soon he goes to Elite Model Management, where he is allowed to photograph some of their employees. models... Steven Meisel spends his first photo sessions in his own apartment and on the street. His photographs in the portfolio of models were noticed by representatives of Seventeen magazine and they invite Steven Meisel to collaborate with them as a photographer.

Today Steven Meisel collaborates with many glossy magazines famous in the fashion world, photographs both famous models and celebrities of show business. For example, he very successfully collaborated with Madonna, creating covers for some of her albums - the same 1984 Madonna album "Like A Virgin". Photographer Stephen Meisel's studio is now based in New York City at 64th Worcester Street, but he also frequently rents Pier59 in New York and Smashbox Studios in Los Angeles.

Sometimes Steven Meisel combines fashion and politics in his works, although, traditionally, fashion is considered a sphere very far from politics. So in 2006, the work of Steven Meisel for Italian Vogue caused a scandal. Indeed, in his photographs, he played around the theme of restriction of freedom in America after the events of September 11, 2001 - the models appeared in the images of police officers and terrorists.

Little is known about Steven Meisel's personal life, however, he never hid his unconventional orientation. Being a fairly famous photographer, Steven Meisel himself does not like being photographed for the press and giving interviews. An interview with Stephen Meisel is a rarity and a great fortune for journalists ...