I was first introduced to Hedi Slimane’s work at about the same time I started college. I was immediately captivated by the striking tones he is able to achieve in his images. Most of his work is shot on the Phase One P65 digital back which is why his images are all so incredibly detailed. He is the former creative director of both Yves Saint Laurent and Dior Homme. In articles he has said that his photography was always private until it was accidentally discovered in 2003 when he published his first book of photographs, Berlin. The Artbook.com website for the book distributors D.A.P. had the following blurb about the book Berlin:
Fresh from the latest season of menswear couture and his last book project, an imaginative artist’s book that melded photographs of draped fabrics with impossible materials, here is Hedi Slimane’s latest creation. Here is Berlin, heard not as the symphony of a large city but as a quiet, emotive ballad. Here is Berlin, as Hedi Slimane has captured it, photographing his surroundings, his friends and the ordinary places where unglamorous lives are led in the German capital. In intense photos that visualize a young generation’s attitude toward life, Slimane reveals the shared desire for something other than feelings of security and prefabricated ideas.
Slimane also has an excellent website: hedislimane.com where a plethora of his images and past editorials can be viewed for free in high quality files. One of the things that I love most about him is how his inherent style can easily accommodate a great many subjects. Currently featured on his website is a series of photographs he has done on the Jerkin’ dance movement in Los Angeles. Definitely worth it to check him out and also great because he is constantly updating the content on his website, so there is always something new to look at.
All Images © Hedi Slimane