Diana Chire, photographer, film-maker and model. This girl is cute, charismatic and brimming with raw talent. Her fashion photography has elements of Jurgen Teller about it, but with an incredibly authentic edge. Watch this space, there’s plenty more to come.

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This was the first site dedicated to the one of the masters of fashion photography, Guy Bourdin, who worked French Vogue for almost 30 years. Before it, there was literally only three of his pictures on the internet and it looked as if he had been totally forgotten. Now it seems he is more famous than when he was alive. My favourite photos have always been the shoe campaigns he shot over many years for Charles Jourdan.

Marvin Joseph, a fashion photographer who has followed a winding path to Sydney, has found more than a few die-hard fans in the models he photographs, as well the clients that seek him out. He believes that we are born to create and has his sights, and his heart, now firmly set on that creative beacon-of-dreams, New York City.

Mark Barwald: Would you say that the technical side of photography is intuitive for you? Was there a defining moment that it changed from being a conscious series of decisions to an instinctual part of the creative process?

Marvin Joseph: To be honest with you, the technical side of photography is not my strongest point, and definitely not intuitive for me. I do know how I want the light to look…and I have a fair idea how to get there…but when it comes to the accuracy of lighting, ha ha….no way, I am still a student in this case…and to be blunt again…it doesn’t bother me…because I know there are people better than me at technical lighting…so my solution is why not use someone better that you? That’s where Tony Nolan comes in…my 75 year old Head Assistant…MacGyver and Light specialist. I learn a lot from him along the way.

MB: How much planning goes into every shoot? Do you plan the shots you want? And how do you allow a great shot to emerge on set, in the moment?

MJ: Planning?! Planning is everything. I can’t go into a shoot without a pre production meeting. I used to just wing it, and would get a certain result. But it sure makes a hell of a difference when there is more thought put into a shoot. In saying that though, I do not like to plan every step of the shoot. I found that way to be too static and rigid. So in the pre production process, I generalize what I want. When I mean generalize, it’s still detailed but I leave gaps for spontaneity. And this is where my mind is at its best, and that goes for any human being. And it’s most apparent in children. So the best images I have produced are when I am child-like, and that is most of the time.

MB: Do you feel a need to connect with your models before you shoot? How do you do that?

MJ: Ideally, before any shoot or video clip, I would like to take my crew and cast to my acreage in Woodstock NYC like the way Francis Ford Coppolla does it…so I can spend time with each of them outside a set environment. If I do not have the luxury of doing that, I have a simple technique…find their PMF. Everyone has a PMF (Primary Motivational Factor), you have one, I have one. Basically, it’s what makes you tick, what makes you do the things you do. It’s used a lot in networking, or sales strategy. Which I used to use when I was in Sales Advertising. You merely have to ask the right questions to find out the PMF. At the same time, I am subtlety building this relationship with my subjects in such a short time. And most of the time, I don’t take myself too seriously before I start shooting. But when I start, everyone knows its focus time and have fun along the way.

MB: How do you judge the success of a shoot? Or more specifically the success of a photograph? Is there something you look for in every photo?

MJ: Hmmm, that’s an interesting question. I have never really thought about it. Let me see. Perhaps it’s how I feel at the end of a shoot. Actually, if I feel a shoot went well, I would look at all the shots that same evening and start working on it. If do not start working on it, I wouldn’t be too excited about the shoot. I would wait to see the images ‘when I feel like it’. In short, if you saw me in a shoot, and I click a shot, and don’t say anything; it means. I don’t know if I like it yet. Success of a shoot is subjective. From a client’s point of view, if they are happy, then it’s ultimately successful. As for my point of view, it takes me at least a year to like or hate my images. I look for that spontaneous feeling that hits me in the heart when I see a great image. A great image makes me imagine.

These stunning photographs by award-winning Italian photographer Fulvio Bonavia are not only delectable and endlessly enticing, they also point to the growing trend towards meshing food, art and fashion in one giant grab bag of styles. These are taken from his latest book, A Matter of Taste.

Fumie Sasabuchi uses fashion photography as source images for her collaged drawings. The Japanese-born artist’s pieces have a lyricism about them, recalling the anatomical drawings of Di Vinci as well as classical figurative paintings, with a preoccupation with death and the alteration of surfaces.

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Fashion photographer Melvin Sokolsky’s works from 1960s are still fresh, timeless and so inspiring. Or should I say that they look newer than what’s out there in fashion photography world now? Ah, the world before Photoshop.

Albert Giordan is a New York-based photographer whose impressive client list references almost every big fashion house today. That means YSL, Alexander McQueen, and Armani, to name but a few. It’s little wonder then that they are lining up to work with him. The contrast, depth of detail and simplicity in his work combines to capture the beauty and strength in the form of the products he photographs.

We are constantly surrounded by photography, but do we ever really stop to look? To be honest, I never paid much attention in the past. But I’ve now turned over a new leaf, and my ignorance has turned to obsession. There’s some truly amazing photographers around today. This includes the very talented Brigitte Sire. Working out of South Pasadena, her website showcases an amazing selection of personal, portrait, fashion and lifestyle shots. Take the time to really look deep.