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Recently Miami has been experiencing a renaissance in fashion. Remote work has helped creatives relocate to places where they can cultivate ideas while the city has established itself as a center of art and design. Yet this doesn’t mean that the story of fashion has just begun in Miami. In fact, by 1962 over 60% of Florida’s apparel manufacturing was happening in Miami, making the fashion industry its single largest industrial employer at the time. Around the same time, Pennsylvania transplant Bunny Yeager, who had already made a name for herself photographing pinup pictures of models including Bettie Page, released her lauded book How I Photograph Myself, which predicted the advent of the selfie. By 1979, the growth of the local fashion industry led to a redevelopment plan to officially create a fashion district and garment center for the city. As the 90s began, fashion legend Gianni Versace chose Miami as his new home, inspired by the vibrant colors the city is known for celebrating. As swimsuits and resort apparel became a year-round interest, Miami began to exist both as a hub for such designs and also as a popular travel destination. And now with Miami Fashion Week, the city presents its ultimate flex: its accessibility. Miami is a single place where designers can connect with three markets simultaneously: the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. As this industry continues to flourish, a fashion photographer in Miami could exist at no better time than now to not only capture it but become a part of its success.
At Wonderful Machine, we define fashion photography as imagery that emphasizes clothes, shoes, and accessories, usually worn by professional models. As this city shares its sunshine with the rest of the world through its designs and lifestyle, here are the best fashion photographers in Miami who make it possible.
Though originally from Russia, Natasha Kertes has a story very tied to Miami. After graduating from the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale with the Best Portfolio Award, she announced herself to the international art world with a solo exhibition of her portraits in Miami in 2011. In quick succession, she then showed work at Miami Beach Botanical Gardens with Irreversible Projects as well as Art Basel, both in 2012. Through this she became an artist of note in the area, leading to many successful shows in Miami and abroad. Her work stands out in the conceptual approach taken to portraiture, always very strong in its use of color and light. This absolutely lends itself to the striking fashion work Natasha has shot worldwide. Making incredible use of the environment around her subject, she often has her model explore a world composed of locations and studios that complement one another. This, paired with the different outfits being showcased, creates both a story and a world for it to take place in, which is perfect for a fashion editorial that engages a viewer’s imagination and creativity, as Natasha is a champion of both.
With his own experience of being a model for brands such as Diesel, Ralph Lauren, and Levi Strauss, Lyall Aston is clearly good at bringing the best out of his subjects. There is an air of comfort and levity in the expressions of his models, which is often matched by the bright natural light he employs in his outdoor shoots. A Miami fashion photographer whose work is very in sync with the vibrancy of his city, Lyall recreates the feel of his outdoor shoots by often using similarly bright colors in his studio shoots. Finding an interest in the crossing of art, fashion, and history, Lyall is also very diverse in the locations, styles, and models he works with.
As a photographer, I aim to express the idea of fashion as a portrait of identity, social class, self-image, and socio-political forces. For me a photograph is not just a representation of what one sees in reality, it often represents something that is not seen by an ordinary observer. Stunning photography then requires the expertise of a skillful eye that is trained to capture moments in the best way possible rather than the latest and greatest photography equipment.
While he also works regularly in New York and abroad, Lyall’s work is a perfect example of the fashion world embracing Miami in his depictions of life by the sea and the styles that celebrate it.
Taking on a role of an artist reflecting on his own experience in the world wouldn’t seem like the likeliest success story in fashion photography, yet Devin Christopher has achieved exactly that. Often focusing on male subjects, Devin’s work is also perhaps an anomaly among fashion photographers in Miami in that he does not often focus on swimwear or resort wear. While both are staples of Miami life that have influenced the world of fashion itself, the city is also home to many cultures and experiences beyond this. By focusing on his own background and exploring it through his art, Devin brings a conviction to his work in fashion that is strikingly genuine.
My end-goal in the work I create is to pave an authentic path, highlighting the intricacies of man and emotion through storytelling. I like my audience to gain an understanding that we are all equal and not one person is in this journey alone. I feel my subject matter speaks most profoundly to those that, like me, rarely witness works that resemble them and resonate truth.
Nightlife looks, budding street styles, musicians, and athletes all feature prominently in Devin’s portfolio. The locations he works with represent city life in Miami, while his work focuses on the cusp of what’s happening, often providing his followers with a view of what tomorrow’s trends will be.
Originally from Columbia, Danny Cardozo came to the United States with his family at a young age. Teaching himself the art of photography growing up, Danny initially had a passion for architecture before going on to study communication design at the International Fine Arts College. As the fashion scene began to take shape on Miami’s South Beach, so did Danny’s interest in being a part of it. Embracing photography once again, he would find much success, shooting for publications including Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, and Marie Claire. As a Miami fashion photographer who witnessed the city’s growth in the industry, Danny is extremely adept at celebrating the sunny, seaside looks that it is famous for. Yet, he’s also able to seamlessly shift between environments and styles, using color as the main communicator in his compositions. This is often found in his focus on the outfits being showcased by his models, which Danny then builds his world around. From his astuteness in scouting locations and resourcefulness working in the studio, Danny often uses background colors that either match or complement the designs in his images. Yet they never overpower the clothing being modeled, keeping the viewer’s attention first and foremost on the styles he so brilliantly captures.
Anna Gunselman is as top-level a fashion photographer as it gets. With stunning imagery and impeccable skill, her crossover work in beauty accessories and celebrity portraiture all find a perfect balance in her elegant portfolio. The detail in her photographs is always sharp and her preference for earth tones and sea blues shows both in the studio and on location. These are always used to highlight the outfits being showcased by her models, yet the range of styles and environments she captures is diverse, creating a world of her own within her work. Further proving herself as a fashion photographer with a true gift for being dynamic, Anna also works in New York, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, South America, and Africa. Above all, however, Anna has an approach that is ready for anything.
I take particular pride in delivering to my clients the images they need to accomplish their goals including label/corporate branding through stunning catalogs, lookbooks, advertising, editorials and portraits. I am dedicated to planning and executing photography sessions that are productive and creative.
Running a fully-equipped studio complete with all of the gear needed for location shoots, Anna runs a well-oiled machine, always on top of licenses, insurance, and permits. To match this expertise, her long-lasting relationships with all of the major modeling agencies also make her shoots run smoothly no matter where she holds them. Yet for such a perfect job embracing and reflecting the world of fashion, Anna also sometimes throws in an experimental edge, such as working with the optical illusions that mirrors can present. This gives her imagery not only all of the quality one seeks in fashion photography but also beautiful and compelling photography in its own right.
Orlando Noa began his training in photography at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, yet honed it by assisting many successful photographers. The names of these individuals read like a who’s-who list, including William Klein, Annie Leibovitz, Jean Baptiste Mondino, and David Lachapelle, with many more. Masterful in his use of locations and studios to create environments that reflect the personality of the designs he captures, Orlando often uses rich colors that bring out elements of the fantastical in his work. He has no fear of using a dark, foreboding woods as a backdrop, nor does he with a bright, sunny beach. Also notable among fashion photographers in Miami is Orlando’s film work. In the late 1990’s he co-founded 2 Guys With an Attitude Productions, through which he has directed shorts, documentaries, and, early in its tenure, the opening trailer for the Miami International Film Festival. In 2006 he co-founded Digital Decaf, a pioneering digital capture company that has since expanded into a video production company. As a director and director of photography, his motion work is just as immersive as his still work, able to create any world that the styles before his lens call for.
Dante Monteverde, also known as TIRRO, works worldwide and has made a name for himself as one of the most prolific photographers working in swimwear and fashion today. After a decade in the industry, he now heads a team based in Miami capable of photography, videography, art direction, location scouting, and booking talent. His work is classy, timeless, and often conducted outdoors in natural light. Very interested in involving the surrounding environment in his images, Dante is both dynamic and brave in giving a large amount of space in a photograph to the location itself. This could be the outdoor stairwell of a rustic hotel, the interior of a boat, or the edge of an outdoor pool surrounded by plants. Yet, with a sharp focus on his subject, his model always stands out in a way that keeps the viewer’s attention centered on the designs being worn. Dante’s subjects often show themselves at ease, yet they are also just as able to show the attitude that is so synonymous with fashion photography. Between this and the diverse places he prefers to shoot, there is a truly adventurous air to everything he does. And for any events showcasing his fantastic work, Dante also offers another talent: he’s an accomplished DJ.
As Miami continues to capture the world’s imagination with its innovation and style, more attention will be paid to every turn it takes. These 7 fashion photographers in Miami show how many directions capturing this can go in a city that may define swimwear and sunny vibes, yet contains multitudes within its own magic.
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