Wildlife photographers and their work

Suzi Eszterhas is a California-based wildlife photographer who works primarily in Africa. She’s been featured in several major publications, including Time, BBC Wildlife, Smithsonian and others. Her photography covers all kinds of animals from all over the world

Andy Rouse, a resident of Wales, is internationally-known for his “different view point” and of “his trade-mark stance of being ‘up close and personal'”. His photos appear in books, magazines, billboards, and even on shirts. Andy has made numerous appearances on TV and even had his own series called Wildlife Photographer. In addition to his photography skills, he is an expert in animal tracking and interpreting animal signs.

 Moose is a very well-known wildlife photographer, who also does a bit of landscape and aviation photography. He’s been recognized and awarded for his photography from companies like Nikon and Lexar. He shares his skills and knowledge through his writing, which has been published worldwide, and lectures across the U.S. The image below is an Alaskan bull moose, which also happens to be his Facebook page’s current cover photo.

Rathika Ramasamy
 Born in a village Venkatachalapuram near Theni,a town in Southern India,Rathika has always had a fierce connect with the drama of nature.She is based in Chennai and New Delhi. An MBA/Computer Engineer, she was drawn towards the photographic capture of this drama as a career in 2003 at Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, a UNESCO world heritage site.

biography and work of Mario Testino

Mario Testino OBE is widely regarded as one of the most influential fashion and portrait photographers of our times.
Born in Lima in 1954 to a traditional Catholic family, remote from the worlds of fashion and Hollywood, Testino moved from Peru to London in 1976. It was during apprenticeships at the studios of John Vickers and Paul Nugent that he made his first attempts as a photographer, inspired by how photography masters documented the society of their times: “I tried to emulate the English – the Mitford sisters, Stephen Tennant and Cecil Beaton.”^[1] His career began tentatively with a commission to photograph a girl’s haircut for British Vogue. The girl in the picture was stylist Lucinda Chambers and the shoot sparked a personal friendship and professional partnership that has lasted to this day. During the early nineties, Testino looked to his experience growing up in Peru and his long teenage summers in Brazil for inspiration, which helped him to create a unique and personal photographic language. “I noticed an evolution in my work…when I tried to recreate my youth in pictures.”^[2]
Testino’s is an artistic vocabulary that transgresses genders, mixes masculinity and femininity and suggests sensuality rather than sexuality. Suzy Menkes, Vogue’s International Editor explains, “Testino’s skill is first and foremost to catch the moment and to bring out the humanity in his subjects.”^[3] Testino’s subjects appear confidently alive; he captures their energy by creating an openness and intimacy with them. Known for the extraordinary way in which he can capture the most private of moments, Testino’s spontaneous, intimate portraits offer the viewer new perspectives on famous faces, often establishing new fashion icons. He has documented subjects from A-list stars, muses, supermodels and artists, to subjects that he has encountered throughout his travels, from magnificent cities by night to mysterious landscapes and private soirees.

Testino was nicknamed the “John Singer Sargent of our times” by Terence Pepper, photography curator at The National Portrait Gallery in London.^[5] The Gallery’s 2002 Portraits exhibition attracted more visitors than any other show in the museum’s history at the time. Charles Saumarez Smith, then director of the NPG, compared Testino to court artists and portraitists from Holbein to Reynolds. “There is a strong relationship between Mario’s work and the general tradition of portrait artists. Just like court artists in the past, he works to a tight timetable and significant commercial constraints.”^[6]
One of Testino’s most memorable sittings to this day is his series with Diana, Princess of Wales. Commissioned for Vanity Fair in 1997, he said: “One of my greatest experiences in life was photographing Princess Diana. It’s not only that the experience itself was amazing, but she opened a door for me because I then started photographing the royal families of Europe extensively…this brings out my love for tradition, for a way of showing family and the longevity of people”^[4]. He has photographed many royals including The Prince of Wales, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the King and Queen of Jordan and King and Queen of the Netherlands, among others.

Testino’s work has been exhibited at museums around the world, among them the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (In Your Face, 2012), the Shanghai Art Museum (Private View, 2012), Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid (Todo o Nada, 2010), the Metropolitan Museum in Tokyo (Portraits, 2004) and Foam in Amsterdam (Portraits, 2003). Solo exhibitions of his work have been presented at galleries such as Mary Boone Gallery in New York, Phillips de Pury in London, Yvon Lambert in Paris and Timothy Taylor in London. More than sixteen books have been published on his work including Portraits (National Portrait Gallery, 2002), Let Me In! (Taschen, 2007), In Your Face (Taschen, 2012) and SIR (Taschen, 2015).

His growing personal collection of artworks ranging from painting to sculpture and photography has also been the subject of numerous shows. Testino’s relationship with fine art developed after frequent visits to galleries and artist’s studios. He said: “Just as photography is a vehicle for me to live a new moment, to go to a new place, meet a new person and so on, art is a process of encounter and discovery. The display of art for me is not just about seeing the work isolated in a white cube. It’s also about engaging with the art – and sometimes the artist – to make something new.”^[7] He has collaborated in the creation of some unique works with artists such as Keith Haring, Vik Muniz, John Currin and Julian Schnabel.

Awarded the Order of the British Empire in 2013 in recognition of his career and charity work, in 2010 he was also appointed one of the highest honours in his native country, The Grand Cross Order of Merit in Peru, and became President of the Board of World Monuments Fund Peru in 2014. He has worked with Save the Children, amfAR, The Elton John Aids Foundation and CLIC Sargent for children with cancer. The arts are a source of joy to Testino to the extent that in 2012 he opened a non-profit museum in Lima. MATE – Museo Mario Testino was established to contribute to Peru through the cultivation and promotion of culture and heritage. For Testino, art is never static. It is something to be appreciated and collected as fragments that make up a greater mental library: a library that is in constant flow.

                 

Art Wolfe

Art Wolfe

 

The photography of Art Wolfe (1951-) captures the sheer beauty and wonder of the earth's far corners, documenting endangered species and landscapes that could be lost to future generations. His photographs are a profound statement of what exists, as well as a plea for preservation. Wolfe is a master of composition, an image magician who creates visual symphonies for the eyes and heart. Traveling thousands of miles annually to capture revealing portraits of wildlife, his animal studies capitalize on his subject's distinguishing features, instinctual behavior and natural habitat. "The shots that are most successful are the photographs where the animal and I have direct eye contact. That's the emotion of the moment."
His landscape photographs are virtual paintings which mix vibrant color, texture, shape and the rhythmic pattern of form and space with unusual light conditions. Wolfe creates ethereal, often mystical, impressions of nature, from haunting, misty landscapes to abstract close ups. His photos jar the senses, awaken the imagination, allowing us access into distant worlds.
As the youngest of three children born to a Navy-photographer father and a commercial-artist mother, Wolfe dreamed of becoming a full-time painter, not a photographer. It was at the University of Washington, while majoring in fine arts and art education that he first began experimenting with an old, used camera. Self-taught, he quickly mastered the mechanics of photography which proved to be the perfect medium for him, one which reflected both his strength as a painter and his love of nature and composition.
Wolfe recently hosted "Safari," a television program on ESPN in which he guided celebrities on photographic expeditions into the wild. Working with fund-raising programs for zoos from coast to coast, Wolfe also works on assignment and publishes frequently with periodicals such as National Geographic, National Wildlife, National Audubon and Smithsonian. He also has released "On Location with Art Wolfe," an instructional video filmed in Alaska, regularly leads photographic workshops and has several more books in the works on subjects as diverse as migratory patterns, primates, eagles and the rainforests of the world.

David Bailey

Born: Jan 2, 1938 in Leytonstone, London

Nationality: British

Style: Fashion photographer

David Bailey was born in London in 1938, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest photographers. Bailey’s background was modest, and he even speaks of wearing shoes made from cardboard during his childhood.

Early Interest in Photography

Bailey’s interest in the arts may have begun from a very early age as a result of his constant trips to the cinema. His mother would take the family to the cinema almost every night because it was cheaper than heating the home. He also liked to take pictures using an old Brownie camera his mother had. The Second World War broke out the year after he was born, and Bailey and his family continued to live in London during the Blitz.

Bailey’s Education

Bailey was far from being an outstanding pupil. His attendance at school during his most formative years was continually disrupted by the German bombing campaign. On top of that, Bailey was later diagnosed with dyslexia, a condition that was unknown at the time. Dyslexia sufferers were usually regarded as low intelligence students, and they were often ignored by their teachers.
Legally, he had to stay in school until he was 15, and he quit immediately after reaching that age. He then spent three years in a variety of dead end jobs. In 1956, he was drafted into the Royal Air Force under the compulsory National Service legislation, and he was sent to Singapore in 1957. During this period, he expanded his interest in photography and invested in a high-end Rolleiflex camera.

Career as a Photographer

By the time his National Service duty came to an end in 1958, Bailey had decided he wanted to be a professional photographer. He wanted to enroll in the London College of Printing, but his application was turned down because of his poor academic record.
In 1959, Bailey managed to land a job with John French, a leading fashion and portrait photographer at the time. The following year, he got a contract job with the British edition of Vogue magazine and began building a substantial reputation as a freelancer.

The Swinging Sixties

Bailey’s arrival on the photographic scene coincided with the cultural revolution that became known as The Swinging Sixties. There was an explosive growth in interest among the general public in fashion and celebrity. The world of pop music was undergoing profound change, and the world saw its first ever supermodel, Jean Shrimpton, whose fame was partly attributable to the striking images Bailey produced of her.
Bailey became as famous as the stars and celebrities he photographed. He moved in the same circles as the leading actors and actresses of the period and was personal friends with members of the Royal Family as well asmany of the top names in show business and cinema.
His Box of Pin-Ups, a set of prints released in 1964, shows clearly the world he moved in. It featured portraits of Mick Jagger, Shrimpton, The Beatles, Andy Warhol, the notorious Kray Twins, and many other famous faces.

David Bailey Today

Bailey still works as a photographer and has also directed documentaries, commercials, and dramas. He has developed an interest in painting and has had his works exhibited. In 2001, he was made a CBE, which is a class of the Order of the British Empire, for his service to the arts.