Bruce Weber – fashion photographer

Any photographer has to have a big fantasy life.

Bruce Weber, born March 29 1946 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, is an American fashion photographer and occasional filmmaker. He is most widely known for his ad campaigns for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Gianni Versace, as well as his work for Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Elle, Life, Interview, and Rolling Stone magazines.

His fashion photography first appeared in the late 1970s in GQ magazine, where he had frequent cover photos. He came to the attention of the general public in the late 1980s and early 1990s with his advertising images for Calvin Klein.

Some of Weber’s other earliest fashion photography appeared in the SoHo Weekly News and featured images of men wearing only their underwear. These photos became the centre of controversy and Weber was told by some that he would never find work as a fashion photographer again. This reputation stuck with him as he said that his work is “too risky” for a range of magazines. However, as fashion photography evolved, Weber’s images are now acceptable. His work is exhibited in museums all around the world.

Bruce weber has many projects that feature on his website, my favourite projects include:

Weber’s photographs are occasionally in colour; however, most are in black and white or toned shades. I prefer his black and white work because I like work that looks vintage and timeless. I would like to create black and white image for my final major project at college so looking at Bruce Weber’s images is inspirational to me.

In particular, I am inspired by this image. Firstly, the position of the model, her facial expression and body language makes her seem elegant, and her hands appear delicately placed. There is also a sense of confidence in this image.

I also like that this image is in black and white. Weber has used lighting techniques perfectly in this image, having nearly no shadows makes her stand out from the background.

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