Photographers that inspire me!
- Kaden
- May 2, 2025
- 4 min read
One thing that brought me to Fashion Communication and Promotion was my passion for photography. During my gap year, I spent a lot of my time attending local gigs, often of my friend’s bands, and would take photos for them. It became one of my favourite things to do and I ended creating a lot of cool friendships and connections through it. I also had the opportunity to assist some of my friends in their third-year shoots for this course which intrigued me. I’d never done a proper shoot before, so it was exciting to see the ins and outs of what goes into one. Photography can be done in so many different ways and with different meanings, so following along with a range of photographers is a great way to find inspiration for your own work. I’m going to discuss some of my favourite photographers... maybe you’ve heard of them and admire them yourself or maybe these artists could be a new discovery for you.
Nadia Lee Cohen is a photographer that deeply influences me. She works with top magazines and celebrities to create art, as well as make interesting work for herself like her self-portrait series. A lot of her magazine work can be seen as quite dark and sensual, often showing women in powerful positions. She has shot many celebrities like Lana Del Rey, Kim Kardashian, Chloe Sevigny, and Rhianna. She has shot for some of my favourite fashion magazines, but also does a lot of film work which is something I would like to explore doing at some point.
Martin Par is a photographer that I was recently introduced to due to his iconic images of the British public in the 80’s, mostly of them at the beach. They show the raw experience of the day to day working class public, which is shown in quite a comedic way. This emotion is created through capturing the subject of the images at awkward times, often when they unaware, or with crying babies, or lots of litter, and also with his use of artificial lighting. I really enjoy the fact they are shot on film cameras as I love the colour grading.
However, as much as his day-to-day photography style really sticks with me, my favourite images from him are his self-portraits. He takes goofy photos with very out of place props and backgrounds and then edits them in post to make them even more hilarious. Some of my favourites are him in the mouth of a shark, him in a tulip field surrounded by sky scrapers with his face edited into the sky, and him standing in front of Jesus.
Helmut Newton was a photographer whose work was a continued feature in a number of different Vogues all over the world and also in other magazines like Harper’s Bazaar. His black and white images, that were often seen as erotic and provocative, really brought something unique to Vogue and they’ve continued to leave their mark on photography today. His work really stands out to me as it’s different to other photographers and photographs that I usually like.
Marcos Hermes, although not a fashion photographer, is a Brazilian photographer that I admire and take a lot of inspiration from. I first got into photography through music and seeing some of his gig photography really resonates with me. He started in the 80’s and has since shot some incredible bands like Metallica, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Ozzy Ozborne, Muse and more! He obviously also has shot some amazing Brazilian bands and artists as well.
There are 2 local photographers I’ve had the pleasure of being friends with or have worked with and those are Ella Zambrana and With love, Valerie. Both girls are exceptional examples of work that I would like to create in the future. They find things, characters or time periods that inspire them and create around them. Each shoot is unique, with an underlying whimsical theme shown using golden lighting, flowy poses and feminine outfits. Having followed their work for some time, it’s easy to build a connection with, and take inspiration from, their projects. I’ve worked on one of Valerie’s shoots before as she was helping my friend with her uni project, and it was so amazing to see her making art right in front of me.
Top 3 : With Love, Valerie
Bottom 3 : Ella Zambrana
In summary, these photographers are the ones that inspire me the most. They span a range of styles and use different techniques. I believe they will continue to influence my work throughout my degree, and hopefully I will also be exposed to many more experimental and new photographers.
“・゜+. 𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔞 𝔷𝔞𝔪𝔟𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔞 ☆・*。 (@Thursdaesgirl) • Instagram Photos and Videos.” Instagram.com, 2021, www.instagram.com/thursdaesgirl/.
Cohen, Nadia Lee. “Nadia Lee Cohen.” Nadia Lee Cohen, 2023, www.nadialeecohen.com/.
Hermes, Marcos. “BIO.” Marcoshermes, 2017, www.marcoshermes.com/biografia.
“Martin Parr.” Wikipedia, 3 Mar. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Parr.
Ong, Jyni. “Nadia Lee Cohen on How She Became Nadia Lee Cohen.” Www.itsnicethat.com, 8 Mar. 2019, www.itsnicethat.com/features/nadia-lee-cohen-photography-international-womens-day-080319.
Scott, Bruce. “Indecent Exposure: Celebrating the Legacy of Photographer Helmut Newton.” Prestige Online - Thailand, 9 Mar. 2022, www.prestigeonline.com/th/lifestyle/art-plus-design/helmut-newton-exhibition-celebrating-legend-photographer/.
Wikipedia Contributors. “Helmut Newton.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Aug. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Newton.
“With Love, Valerie • Norwich Photographer (@Val.eray) • Instagram Photos and Videos.” Instagram.com, 2025, www.instagram.com/val.eray/. Accessed 2 May 2025.
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