Steven Meisel has and continues to serve as a fashion photographer icon. Hailing from Long Island, NY, both Steven’s parents were involved in the entertainment industry. Steven’s mother Sarah was a singer and his father Leonard worked as a music promoter for a local record label. Early Steven took interest in fashion. As a child instead of playing with traditional toys, he opted to spend time perusing through Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Steven would soon discover he had a natural affinity for illustration. After graduating from the High School of Art and Design in NY, he went on to complete his studies in Fashion Illustration at Parsons while working as an illustrator for Halston. Post-graduation Steven continued to work at Halston and also became an instructor at Parsons.
However, it wouldn’t be until he landed a position at WWD that he would find himself propelled into the world of fashion photography. It was while working at WWD that he met Valerie Cates, sister of actress/model Phoebe Cates. In his spare time he began shooting Phoebe and her model friends and was soon discovered by Seventeen Magazine. This opportunity took Steven from the drawing board to the dark room.
Steven’s inarguable ability to transform models into original interpretations of themselves gained him notoriety within fashion as the hottest photographer! Steven was tapped by the fashion publication Vogue to serve as lead photographer for the Italia Vogue. He was well on his way to success.
Such a coveted and highly desired position allowed him to go on and work with a myriad of celebrity trendsetters such as Madonna, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Burlington in memorable music, fashion and brand advertising campaigns.
Today, Steven continues to serve as Vogue’s lead photographer and producer of visual imagery that is unrivaled. In celebration of his notable body of work to date, I’ve highlighted what I feel are some of his most iconic covers to date: his edgy, yet sexy cover of Madonna’s book Sex, and my favorite editorial to date, the extraordinary VMAN Magazine FALL 2012 (featured photo) featuring Tom Brady. Steven Meisel is an artistic genius who is truly one of a kind.
