Meisel, Steven

(1954- )

   A New York fashion photographer who began his career as an illustrator upon graduation from the Parsons School of Design. After brief stints at Halston and Women's Wear Daily, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a photographer and was discovered by editors at Seventeen magazine. He went on to produce work that was featured in Vogue magazine—the French, American and Italian versions—and is credited with launching the careers of top models Linda Evangelista, Guinevere Van Seenus, Elsa Benitez, Karen Elson, Maggie Rizer, Iman, Kristin McMenamy, Naomi Campbell, and Alek Dek. He rose to fame in the 1980s and today is considered one of the most influential fashion photographers of his generation by fashion designers and editors alike. Meisel is one of the "Blue Chip" photographers who commands upward of $15,000-$30,000 a day. His body of work is impressive beginning with his 30-plus page spreads for Italian Vogue, his 1995 "teen porn" jeans ads for Calvin Klein, and his banned-in-Britain ad for Opium perfume in 1999. He was also the shutterbug behind Madonna's infamous 1992 Sex book and has shot numerous ad campaigns for Anne Klein, Max Mara, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Yves St. Laurent, Valentino, Gap, Escada, and, in 2000, his highly acclaimed Versace ad campaign, Four Days in L.A. In 2004, he produced a 38-page exploration of erotic male-female gender roles, published in W magazine, which once again caused controversy.