What camera does David Lachapelle use? Surreal photography by David LaChapelle

The American genius, one of the ten highest paid photographers in the world, has not been looking for models for his work for a long time. He is called a modern Salvador Dali for his ironic style and a completely new vision of reality.

An acquaintance that opened the doors to show business

David LaChapelle, the author of scandalous and provocative photographs, was born in 1963 in the USA. Having been passionate about art since childhood, as a teenager he continued his studies in studios and schools that developed his artistic thinking.

No one knows how the career of a talented young man would have developed in the future, but meeting an amazing artist and creator of pop art, who offered the young talent to work in his magazine, changes his usual way of life. Of course, all the doors to the bohemian art world were open for LaChapelle, who received the blessing of such an iconic person.

An eccentric, but unusually able-bodied David, over time acquires a reputation as a unique genius, and many show business stars consider it an honor to be offered to work with him.

Irony and lack of respect

A professional photographer, who so easily stepped into the glamorous world filled with gloss and vice, does not let any famous media person down. He has no reverence for celebrities, viewing them only as subjects for his photography.

Working in the style of surrealism, LaChapelle ironizes and creates an eccentric reality with its main feature - incredible expressiveness and explosive saturation of colors. A bright palette of colors always evokes a real storm of emotions, which is what David LaChapelle achieves.

Unusual working style

His style is quite recognizable: in addition to color expression, he uses special techniques that allow us to consider all the subjects of photography as soulless, but perfectly beautiful dolls.

Toy images of the most famous pop culture stars are often not just erotic, but look almost on the verge, shocking the average person, who still does not have the strength to tear himself away from the extravagant production - a small film in the frame. It’s not for nothing that this sought-after master with an amazing aesthetic taste is deservedly called “the Fellini of the world of photography.”

Fantasies come true

A commercially successful professional photographer turns the most original and provocative fantasies into reality. David does not hesitate to work with images of religious themes that seem provocative to the viewer. In response to frequent complaints about mockery and ridicule of the most sacred, he replies that this is his vision of life.

An original view of the world is the calling card of the photographer, who is invited to shoot advertising campaigns for the most popular brands and bright CD covers of world-famous stars.

Original images

He films scenes that are far from reality using a regular digital camera. “The quality of the lens has nothing to do with the aesthetic value of the shot,” says David LaChapelle, whose work is charming and unusual. His strange images are unusual and difficult for an unprepared viewer to understand.

A crazy world expressed through a photographic lens

David believes that he lives in an era of a crazy age, and emphasizes this in every possible way. Eclecticism of styles, pretentiousness, grotesqueness, provocation and challenge to society, lack of embarrassment in front of topics that are not customary to talk about out loud - this is the main style of the photographer, who does not try to distinguish between fiction and real life, he turns the world around him upside down.

To be honest, not every star who dreams of working together is satisfied with such cooperation. Not everyone has the necessary self-irony to laugh at their image and love it.

A new round of creativity

But LaChapelle should not be considered only an accomplished conceptual photographer; later he tried himself as a director of commercials and a creator of expressive video works for popular show performers. 11 years ago, he even received a prize for a documentary film about the emergence of a new hard style of dancing - krump.

Reclusion

In 2006, he made an unexpected decision to leave show business. Having settled on the Hawaiian island, David LaChapelle deals only with fine arts, concentrating on artistic photography. Leading a very reclusive life, he rarely gives interviews, but his exhibitions are regularly held around the world.

The Irony of Consumer Values

In conclusion, I would like to say that David LaChapelle, who is considered a troubadour of luxurious life and pleasure, with his eccentric works questioned consumer values ​​that drill into the mind of the average person the idea that happiness comes to the house with every new purchase. By truthfully showing the underside of modern madness, he did it better than any historical chronicle.

He told i-D magazine everything

David LaChapelle is one of the largest and most significant figures in modern photography. He was often criticized for being overly commercial and offensively grotesque in his work, but this never stopped LaChapelle from being unapologetically cool.

David's first high-profile work was shooting with Andy Warhol for Interview magazine in the 1980s. After that, everyone started talking about Lachapelle. It's hard to name a celebrity he hasn't photographed. The photographer captures memorable, vibrant portraits of David Bowie, Christina Aguilera, Pamela Anderson, Courtney Love, Whitney Houston, Eminem, Naomi Campbell, Elton John, Angelina Jolie, Moby and many, many others.

This year, for the first time, nearly 100 of David LaChapelle's works will be exhibited in one space - at the Australian Photo Biennale at the Ballarat Gallery. The exhibition will include works from the photographer's more than 30-year career. David flew in from his home in Hawaii to better understand Australia and its context. Now LaChapelle spends most of his time on his farm on the island of Maui.

i-D magazine talked to the photographer and found out how he lives now and what he thinks, and we chose the most interesting from this.

“As a child, I always thought that I would become a farmer if a photographer didn’t work out. In my youth, I spent a lot of time in the forests behind my parents’ house. I think it’s the same with Hawaii, it’s a great place to retire and think about everything in silence ", says David.

Lately, LaChapelle has been choosing his filming carefully:

"The portraits I've shot over the past couple of years have come about through a special connection with my subjects. Speaking of Miley Cyrus, I feel connected to her music, I really like The Backyard Sessions. Photographing Paris Jackson was also something special because I had photographed her father before."

Miley Cyrus

Paris Jackson

LaChapelle generally has a special relationship with the world around him. Now he lives like a hermit and tries to spend a minimum amount of time on the Internet.

"I don't use social networks. I don't want my pictures to be looked at on phone screens. The main challenge for anyone who makes art is to learn to step back. Peace and quiet is very important to me, that's the only way I can concentrate on my photographs. It's not that easy to do when almost all of our lives are connected to phones and other devices,” says David.

Self-portrait in the house, 2013

In the spring of 2017, David LaChapelle exhibited some works in Venice. The photographer himself says that Italy is very important to him. The images and ideas of the Renaissance greatly influenced his work.

"Italy inspires me a lot, I'm heavily influenced by the Renaissance masters. Seeing their work in European museums is an amazing experience. I spent a lot of time reading the news to keep up with what was happening in the world and the places I was visiting." And to maintain internal balance, I read classics and biographies - literature that I really love,” the photographer shares.

This fall, the Taschen publishing house will release two books with LaChapelle's works - Lost and Found and Good News. These will be anthologies with the photographer’s previously unpublished photographs. David LaChapelle enjoys them no less than the exhibition in Australia, and continues to live in peace and quiet on the paradise Hawaiian island.

David LaChapelle is the most provocative and creative photographer of our time, a legendary figure in the world of glamor, advertising and fashion industry. He loves to break established stereotypes in photography, creating unique and original images that always evoke a storm of emotions and vivid impressions. Hollywood stars, models and politicians line up to join him for photo shoots, and his stunning photographs adorn the pages of the most fashionable magazines. His own style is the creation of surreal, sometimes completely unreal photographs that attract the viewer's attention. The work of David LaChapelle is often compared to the paintings of Salvador Dali, thanks to his incredible talent for turning the ordinary into a unique, fantastic fairy tale.

American photographer and video director David LaChapelle was born in the provincial Connecticut in 1969. Thanks to his mother's favorite hobby, photography, he learned from childhood to look at the world around him through the lens of a camera. Already in childhood, David realized that he wanted to be a photographer. So he graduated from the North Carolina School of Fine Arts and then moved to New York. There, David LaChapelle entered both the League of Art Students and the School of Visual Arts. Thus, photography and art became an integral part of his life. The beginning of a real creative career and a turning point in the fate of David LaChapelle was his acquaintance with the legendary American pop star Andy Warhol while working as a waiter at the famous club “54”. It was from him that the young, talented photographer received his first order - shooting for Interview magazine. This was followed by orders from such reputable publications as Vogue, Playboy, GQ, Arena, Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair. During this same period, the birth of LaChapelle’s own stunning style took place, with original works on the verge of photography and surrealism.

Thanks to his unique, surreal photographs, which evoke a variety of emotions in viewers, David LaChapelle quickly gained popularity in the world of show business, fashion and advertising. He began developing advertising campaigns for such world-famous brands as Estee Lauder, Volvo, Levi’s, Camel, L’Oreal, Iceberg, MTV, Ecko, Diesel Jeans, Sirius, Ford and Sky Vodka. World-famous stars take part in his photo shoots: Christina Aguilera, Uma Thurman, Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Lopez, Pamela Anderson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Britney Spears. He also creates covers for famous musicians and singers - Moby, No Doubt, Elton John, Madonna, Whitney Houston and many others. In addition, David LaChapelle has gained popularity as a creative director and music video director. In particular, the video clip “Natural Blues” created by him in 2000 for the group Moby with the participation of Christina Ricci received the prestigious MTV Europe Music Awards as “Best Video of the Year”.

Among the most famous and significant photographic works of LaChapelle is a collection of color luxurious photographs entitled Hotel LaChapelle, telling about the chic and extravagance of modern show business. David LaChapelle also created a special series of photographs as part of the “Declare Yourself” project in order to attract the attention of young people to the 2008 presidential elections in America. His work is currently exhibited at the prestigious Staley-Wise and Toni Shafrazi galleries in the United States, as well as in Germany, Austria, France, England and Italy.

What is the secret of David LaChapelle's success? Of course, in the signature manner of creating photographs that are highly expressive, provocative and emotional. Critics define LaChapelle's style as “reportage surrealism,” that is, extensive, fantastic, sometimes funny images that capture the author’s fantasies. His main creative principle - originality and provocation in everything - has earned him popularity in the world of fashion and advertising, because viewers directly associate the positive feelings inspired by his free, provocative and at the same time light images with certain brands. Relating himself to the bright characters of LaChapelle’s photographic works, every person dreams of becoming as successful and happy, which is the key to the commercial success of a talented photographer. David LaChapelle's imagination allows him to create completely unique photographs that sometimes seem defiant and too provocative, almost unreal and fantastic. Thus, the photographer embodies in photography his own unique world, in which everyone wants to be.

David LaChapelle's photographs are his own vision of the world, an uncompromising and eccentric reflection of reality. Thanks to his amazing talent for creating original and striking images, he has become a cult figure in the modern world of glamor, show business and advertising. Not a single significant exhibition or fashion publication can do without his bright and fabulous photographs. David LaChapelle's works are always distinguished by their amazing, unique signature, but you can never predict what his next photograph will turn out to be.

In preparing the article, materials from

Who is the star in star photography? Inimitable David LaChapelle Once called the Fellini of photography, LaChapelle works for the most prestigious international publishers and exhibits in both commercial galleries and leading public museums and exhibition halls around the world. He photographed such people as Madonna, Eminem, Louis Armstrong, Pamela Anderson, Uma Thurman, Elizabeth Taylor, David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio, Hillary Clinton, Muhammad Ali, Britney Spears and many others.

Advertising - Philip Morris

David Lachapelle considered one of the ten most famous photographers in the world. He is often called the “Salvador Dali of the third millennium”! Hollywood stars and politicians, top models and show business sharks line up to see him. He creates fantastic, sometimes unrealistic images, without doing anything supernatural.

Breakfast of Champions, 2001

Burning Piano, 2003 (Alicia Keys)

IItalian Vogue, Checkered Room

They say he works miracles. He is able to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, the vulgar into the beautiful, the boring into the funny, and the stupid into the original and unique. Hollywood stars and politicians, top models and show business sharks line up to see him. He creates fantastic, sometimes unrealistic images, without doing anything supernatural. He's just taking pictures. His name is David LaChapelle.

Anna Kournikova

Blow-up Doll, 2000 (Lil'Kim)

LaChapelle loves to be original; this approach to work is his calling card, which is why he is so valued in the world of fashion and advertising. David LaChapelle has authored advertising campaigns for global brands - Estee Lauder, Volvo, Levi's, Camel, L'Oreal, Iceberg, MTV, Ecko, Diesel Jeans, Sirius, Ford, Sky Vodka. He often creates covers for CDs - of course, for the most famous stars, including Whitney Houston, Elton John, Madonna, as well as Macy Gray, Moby, No Doubt and many others.

Bon Appetite, 1999 (Naomi Campbell)

Not a single prestigious exhibition or photo gallery is complete without the work of LaChapelle. In the USA, these are the Staley-Wise and Toni Shafrazi galleries; in addition, the photographer triumphantly exhibits in Austria, Germany, Italy and England.

Speaking of David LaChapelle...

In a post about I couldn’t help but mention modern fashion photographer David LaChapelle, who at one time discovered Amanda to the fashion world, making her his muse.

Naturally, the muse of such an eccentric photographer should be no less provocative and scandalous - LaChapelle. Amanda's story is reminiscent of Cinderella, but only if LaChapelle had written her story. At the age of 20, having escaped from her tyrant husband, Amanada moved to New York, where for some time she made a living as a prostitute. It was in one of the dirty Manhattan clubs that the “fairy godmother” LaChapelle found her.

p.s. Since each of my posts is actively cut by the site administration, or even deleted for an abundant amount of pop breasts and gay propaganda, I will try to be as decent as possible here. Which is very difficult.

But first things first.

The photographer was born in Connecticut in 1969.

My mother worked as a nurse, and I often went with her to the nursing home. The old people loved children very much and were happy when I came to them. There was one very old woman who in her youth was a famous pianist, but as the years passed, everyone forgot about her. She showed me photographs of her youth, she was so beautiful! You can live a wonderful life when you are young and beautiful and have a lot of fun. But in 60 years, who the hell knows where we'll be? Perhaps we will be forgotten and written off.

Before moving to New York, he studied at the School of Fine Arts in North Carolina. After moving to NY, David entered both the Arts Student League and the School of Visual Arts.

He spent his free time in nightclubs and at fashion parties, where Andy Warhol noticed him after some time. It was he who gave David the job - LaChapelle's first professional photographs appeared in Interview magazine, whose editor-in-chief was Andy Warhol. Before working at Interview, David worked part-time, in his own words, as a prostitute.

I am not ashamed of the fact that I was involved in prostitution in my youth. I really needed a way to make money quickly. I think it's a rite of passage for a lot of gay guys. But I wouldn't want kids to read it and think it's cool because that's what I did.

Having started working with Andy, David became part of the fashion scene and soon began to be invited to shoot for other magazines. Its main feature is kitsch and glamor. But unlike Terry Richardson, for David it’s luxury and money. In his works, LaChapelle creates images filled with freedom, slightly strange, sometimes funny, but always majestic and unique.

The most striking and significant photo collections of LaChapelle appear at the end of the last century. In 1999, the maestro gives the world one of the most luxurious collections of color photographs called Hotel LaChapelle: it intertwines all the gloss, chic and extravagance of the world of stars. The collection is a continuation of the photographer's earlier work - LaChapelle Land (1996).

LaChapelle is known not only as a photographer, but also as the author of many videos. That is why Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, and Amy Winehouse were added to the list of his “star heroes.” His video "Natural Blues" for the band Moby, which featured Christina Ricci as an angel, became one of the most striking videos in the music industry in 2000, and was awarded the MTV Europe Music Awards as "Best Video of the Year". Although this was only the 3rd music video for it. Among his famous directorial works are such videos as Dirtty by Christina Aguilera, I"m with you by Avril Lavigne, It"s my life by No Doubt, Tears Dry on Their Own by Amy Winehouse and the best, in my opinion, video by Britney Spears Everytime.

Last year there was a trial - David sued Rihanna because you leaked the idea for your video from one of David's photo shoots. The court ordered Rihanna to pay a fine and not do it again.

Lately, David has not been filming as often as he did in the early 2000s. His last known work was a Christmas card for the Kardashians. This is what David is all about. To photograph the rich and dubiously famous, dressing them in kitsch, so that their luxury becomes ridiculous and ridiculous. At one time he worked with Olga Rodionova. I can't imagine how much she had to pay him.