Two men in hats 1988

Two Men in Hats 1988

Piece description from the artist

I was a fashion photographer in NYC in the 1970s and 80s. I shot for Harper's Bazaar, GQ, French Vogue, Revlon, Chanel, and many others. The photos in this collection are from this period. Some were published, others were personal work shot between assignments. The prints are signed. This photograph was part of a series I shot for a French magazine called L'Officiel. We were in the countryside outside Paris. This was in 1988. When I moved to France in 1985, I was surprised to see that smoking was everywhere. In the USA smoking was already beginning to be prohibited in some public spaces, but in France you could not avoid it, even sitting in a cafe or restaurant right next to your table, or sitting across from a smoker during a meal. The theme of the shoot was to create a vintage look, and I was happy that I was able to create a French Gothic look, inspired by the famous Grant Wood painting, "American Gothic."

Other works by Stephen Ladner

About Stephen Ladner

Chester Springs, PA

Shooting the women that Steve loved in college was how he began his explorations into photography. Those early carefree experiments evolved into a full-fledged career shooting fashion and beauty for magazines and advertising (Harper's Bazaar, French Vogue, GQ, The New York Times, Revlon, Chanel) in the 1970s and 1980s, in New York City and Paris, France, where he lived for 7 years. Steve now lives in horse country north of Philadelphia. His focus is examining what it means to be an artist at this point in his life. Though Steve continues to shoot commercially, his greatest joy is in creating unique portraits and digital photo art, mixing photography, paint, and digital tools, .and loves every step of his continually unfolding creative journey.and
Recently he has been creating semi-abstract images starting with a photograph of a place or a thing, then using digital tools to transform them into photo art pieces. In that process he is using the camera as a capture tool, creating a foundation to further interpret shape and form and light. As an artist, Steve is constantly aware of the importance of intentionality and being true to his vision, that is, the way he sees things, in the process of capturing and defining his reality, and the choices he makes in the moment with the camera's eye. And always his favorite subject is people.
Steve has had exhibits of his paintings and photography at The Chestnut Hill Gallery in 2010 and 2012, and at The Wendy Concannon Gallery in 2012, both in Philadelphia.

See Stephen's portfolio here
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