PATRICK DEMARCHELIER

B. 1943

French

Demarchelier is known for his ability to put his subjects at ease and capture their true personalities on film. “I have that one second, the moment she forgets about the camera when I can make someone relax and become her real self. That is the moment I want to capture,” says Demarchelier. He discovered his passion when he was seventeen, experimenting with his first camera. By 1975, he had moved to New York. While working as a freelancer his fashion work began to receive interest from publications such as Marie Claire and Elle magazines.

The roots of his success tie back to his early years in freelance photography learning from photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Terry King. His work was steadily garnering more attention, and in 1989 Princess Diana commissioned him to photograph her and Princes William and Harry, leading to Demarchelier’s position as the first non-British official photographer for the Royal family. Then in 1992, he shot his first campaign for British Vogue. A twelve-year collaboration with the magazine would follow; it was during this time that he worked with Grace Coddington at Vogue whom he credits with helping to launch his career.

To date, Demarchelier has shot countless celebrities and supermodels for editorials and advertising campaigns comprised of the crème de la crème of international luxury fashion brands such as Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Chanel, Gianni Versace, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Céline, TAG Heuer, Yves Saint Laurent, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren and many more. Anna Wintour, the Editor in Chief of Vogue, reflects on Demarchelier’s unique talent and says, “Patrick takes simple photographs perfectly, which is of course immensely difficult. Working without ornate settings, often in black-and-white, he makes attractive women look beautiful and beautiful women seem real. In Patrick’s kingdom, Cinderella could have arrived at the palace wearing Dior — or she could have worn nothing at all.”

In the midst of his whirlwind career, Demarchelier is grounded by a strong family life that he has built with his wife Mia and their three sons in New York City, Long Island, and at his St Barth abode. St Barth remains one of his favorite settings in which to work, and he cherishes his regular escapes to the island.