Ellen Von Unwerth is by far one of my favorite all time photographers, with such a unique vision. She was one of the original photographers that shot the guess campaigns, which is where I first discovered her work. She has a beautiful grittiness to her images, and her colors are bright and poppy. I saw her in action last year when I was working back stage at the fashion shows in Paris. Amongst the many other photographers with their massive digital cameras and funky self made flash contraptions, Ellen walked around with a glowing smile and a small 35mm film camera. Had to be a Leica or small Nikon. Completely inspiring. She has kept photography at the grass roots and to me that is impressive. She brings an intriguing sexuality and energy out of her subjects. Naturally everything she shoots is film. It makes me want to find an old Leica and start shooting film.
You can view the whole catalog of her work here.
One of my favorites is this Interview article she did of Brad Pitt in Morocco.
I can truely say she is one of the most influential photographers in my world. It’s so raw, intimate, and grass roots.