Steven Meisel - Fashion's Reigning Master

Few fashion photographers have enjoyed such long-lived success as Vogue staple, Steven Meisel. Meisel has shot campaigns for Versace, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Calvin Klein and Prada. In 1992 fashion's most celebrated photographer shot to international fame for his work on pop-star Madonna's controversial book "SEX". One of Meisel's first jobs was to work for fashion designer Halston as an illustrator. Meisel never thought he could become a photographer. He admired photographers like Jerry Schatzberg, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon and Bert Stern. Later on, while working at Women's Wear Daily as an illustrator, he went to Elite model agency where two girls working there allowed him take pictures of some of their models. He would photograph them in his apartment in Gramercy Park or on the street: on weekdays he would work at Women's Wear Daily and on weekends with the models. One of them was Phoebe Cates. Some of these models took their pictures to Seventeen magazine to show their model books and the people at Seventeen subsequently called Meisel and asked if he wanted to work with them. More of Steven Meisel's work can be seen here. Steven makes me remember why I got into this business... The heat!