juergen teller is one of those photographers who you know his work as soon as you see it. his goal is not necessarily making the subject look good but look real. he has been shooting marc jacobs ads since marc jacobs started doing ads, teaming with stylist and former partner venetia scott, who was doing marc’s fashion shows. his subjects have going from the young (dakota fanning) to the mature (charlotte rampling), from posh (aka victoria beckham) to grunge (stella tennant, kirsten owen, and kim gordon.
he did the first post-tom ford ads for yves saint laurent, which were quite a departure from what had come before. karen elson, pale skin and all shot thisclose in the brightest of light, snejana perched in a little chair with a muse almost as large as she, and daria in the city of light with blurred light, done in a way where you feel, if for a second, you could have done it.
his fashion editorials have the same rawness and humor. in “social studies,” found in september’s w, tilda swinton does a quirky yet aristocratic turn with yvonne force villareal, renee rockefeller, rachel feinstein and more. he talks about his photography in the new york magazine fall fashion issue, saying of the typical fashion images, “i just turn the page…i’m for the individual human being, not some plastic figure some gay guy thought out.” the interview is exactly the same as one of teller’s photographs: a bit unsettling, but frank and real.
ad images from bwgreyscale and jozworld; editorial pics from wmagazines.com
