Albert Watson is one of the most influential fashion photographers of all time. He’s worked with the world’s greatest personalities and entertainment figures, including Michael Jackson and Steve Jobs. Learn about his story, photography, and passion.
His Life
He was born in 1942 in Scotland, in 1970 he moved to the United States with his wife. He started doing small photography jobs. The art director of Max Factor offered him his first fashion job. The result was so impressive, that he quickly began to attract the attention of bigmagazines and powerful brands.
He’s got 100 covers of Vogue and 40 covers of Rolling Stone. One of the most famous is the one taken from Alfred Hitchcock for the 1973 Christmas edition of Harper’s Bazaar where he holds a goose. It was the first time he worked with someone famous. According to him, it’s his most important photo, it helped him gain confidence.
Personal Techniques and Influence
His technique is based on clean lighting. For him, less is more. His work is a combination of graphic design, film, and his passion for photography.
Watson’s influence was not only on the covers of the most famous magazines. He directed more than 100 commercials and worked in the cinema making iconic posters for films such as Memoirs of a Geisha, Kill Bill, and The Da Vinci Code.
Awards
In 2010 he received a Centenary Medal from the Royal Photographic Society and in 2015 he was awarded The Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.
Watson was born blind in his right eye. His first contact with photography was at age 15 with an old Kodak camera belonging to his father. His work continues to be exhibited in major galleries and museums around the world.
