Mario Testino: Diana's Favourite Photographer

"He sells a dream," says Anna Wintour. "You want to be that woman in that glorious house, on the glorious beach and in that incredible dress"

"Mario gives them a heightened and more beautiful version of reality," says Tom Ford. "Mario's pictures are very mystic and they're about having a great time. They are about not being afraid of being rich or being famous or being a little bit excessive and are really a celebration of that. A celebration of life."

However, actress Gwyneth Paltrow nails it on the head, "He's very good at doing young, sexy and vibrant pictures."

There is no argument that Mario Testino produces images that are vibrant, sexy and utterly glamorous. Therefore it is no surprise that one of his books is called Alive which when you think about it is totally appropriate because when Mario Testino shoots someone he makes them come alive. In 1997 he took a post divorce suffering and depressed Princess Diana and managed to produce images of her that made her look so radiant and delirious that I am sure Prince Charles must have doubted his decision to let her go. As these images made the rounds in newspapers and magazines, Mario found himself zooming up the A list. Mario was born in Lima, Peru and in 1976, after completing his studies he left Peru to pursue a career in photography and spent his initial years living in a squat in South London. Success was not instant for him and he spent a lot of years struggling to get work - the problem was that instead of finding his own style he was trying to emulate his idols, Cecil Beaton and Richard Avedon. His break came in the 80s when he met a certain Carine Roitfeld (before her French Vogue days) while working on a fashion shoot. Roitfeld was working as a freelance stylist and the two hit it off and began working as a team.

Over the years he has amassed a remarkable body of work from magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and V to fashion houses such as Burberry, Gucci, Versace, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Salvatore Ferragamo, Estee Launder, Hugo Boss, Miu Miu, Shiseido and Michael Kors. The cream on the cake was in 2002 when his portraits were showcased in the National Portrait Gallery (NPG). Portraits was a landmark exhibition that became the NPG's most successful exhibit and also drew celebrities from afar as well as huge media attention. That year Mario was also the subject of a documentary made by the BBC. I meant to catch that exhibition back in 2002 but never got round to it but I watch the documentary about Mario and I fell in love with his enthusiasm and zest for the life. The man oozes energy and charisma and his passion for life and people are surely key to his ability to make his subjects warm to him during shoots. Mario's success is that he wants his subject to look their best and will go to great lengths to achieve that. This is the man who made the ever so stiff Prince of Wales look cool and relaxed in those chic images in Vanity Fair circa 2001. He has gone on to take the photos of other royals such as the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William, Prince Harry, The Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent who normally would have given Lord Snowdon a call. As well as taking images, Mario has published seven books of his work and edited one which is dedicated to contemporary art and artists from his native Lima, Peru.

Here are some more of Mario Testino's images below:






Pictures taken by Mario Testino

Seven Photographs That Changed Fashion

I have often viewed John Rankin aka Rankin to be a rather detached figure; from his input to uber trendy mag, Dazed & Confused to holding the position as one of the nation's coveted photographers. He has snapped everyone from The Spice Girls, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Kylie Minogue, Queen Elizabeth and Tony Blair. Rankin has also had his fingers in other pies; a quick look at Wikipedia tells me that he is co-owner of the Proud Galleries and publishes Another Magazine and Another Man. So watching him gush over the work of veteran photographers in the documentary, Seven Photographs that Changed Fashion is very endearing. The programme paid homage to great photographers past and present and looked at iconic images in the history of fashion which you can see above. To add a twist to things Rankin recreated each photograph with his own team of stylists and make up artists as well as contemporary models. You can see the new Rankin versions below.


Cecil Beaton - the quintessential British photographer.
"He help set the template for fashion photography. Packaging a world of decadent beauty and above all selling a dream," says Rankin. He recreated the 1934 photo in Vogue that showed off a white Panama hat. "Beaton brought to it his typical wit and elegance so that what she is wearing is secondary to the beauty of the image." Rankin enlisted the service of pop star and model, Sophie Ellis Bextor to pose as the model as she was ideal for the 1930s and 1940s look.



Erwin Blumenfeld - the innovator and pioneer.
"Blumenfield was all about visual experimentation. He was an innovative fashion photographer of his era and a pioneer for colour photography. His stunning Vogue cover in 1950 shows the influence of the surrealist but also shows the excitement of the country looking forward to the next century," says Rankin. Heidi Klum was chosen to be the muse for this shot due to her chameleon tendencies and stardom.


Richard Avedon - the first celebrity fashion photographer.
"Classic styling with energy and creative spirit. Daring, stylish and ambitious, his pictures reflected the optimism of 50s America and turned him into the first celebrity fashion photographer. His status was confirmed by Funny Face, a film based on Avedon but was was made famous for starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. His photo of a model with elephants that was in Harpers Bazaar in 1955," says Rankin. He chose supermodel, Erin O'Connor for the recreation because of her tall frame and demeanor.


David Bailey - the man who brought sex to photos.
"Before Bailey, fashion photographer in Britain was still a gentleman's trade however he broke through all that bringing an energy, charm and incredible life to his images. Bailey is the perfect fashion photographer combining technical brilliance with sheer force of personality to create photos that have a sense of total spontaneity. He created some of the most iconic images of the 60s and most of them were with his muse and girlfriend, Jean Shrimpton, " says Rankin. It is the image from Vogue in 1963 that Rankin chose to recreate with his own girlfriend, Tuuli Shipster.


Helmut Newton - the voyeur.
"In the era of sexual liberation, pornography going mainstream and conventions being challenged; Newton's voyeuristic images of strong women in often highly charged sexual scenarios often captured the new mood. His pictures also suggested that fashion photographs could be more than just a beautiful snapshot. His images felt like frames from a slightly seedy film and moved fashion photography forward again,' says Rankin. The photo that he recreated is the one taken for Vogue in 1975 with an androgynous and mysterious feel taken in the Rue Aubriot in Paris outside Newton's apartment. Rankin has gone back to the same street for his shoot and is using models, Jade Parfitt and Mollie Gondi.


Guy Bourdin - one of the most imitated fashion photographers of all.
"His highly saturated look and dramatic scenario seem to suggest some hidden tension or trauma. His influence is incredible not just in photography but in pop culture," says Rankin. He chose to recreate Bourdin's 1970 Vogue cover because it captures the sleazy glamour of his work with none of the admiration of women normally seen in traditional fashion photos. He invited model and socialite, Daphne Guinness to pose for the shot.


Herb Ritts - who brought homoeroticty into the mainstream.
"Ritts' work has been described as so dark you can see the shadows and the light. He wanted to make beautiful images with beautiful people and in doing so was responsible for the way men were portrayed in fashion. His image 'Fred With Tyres' which was about workers in denim was shown in Italian Vogue in 1984 and caused quite a stir," says Rankin. To recreate this image, Rankin invited top male model, David Gandy who is the face of Dolce and Gabanna.

I learnt a lot from this documentary, as well as what a passionate and dedicated photographer, Rankin is but also the enormous respect he has for his peers and craft. He even took one of the images in a digital format but still achieved the same effect. Seven Photographs That Changed Fashion has also given me a great introduction into the artists who made their mark in photography.

Images taken by the BBC.