15 Famous Advertising Photographers All Over the World

Location: USA
Brand collaborations: Estee Lauder, Lеvi`s, Camel, Volvo, L’Oreal, MTV, Ecko, Iceberg, Diesel Jeans, Ford

David loves being original and unique and his approach has already become a trademark in the world of fashion and commercial advertising photographers. LaChapelle is a true guru who has thousands of followers and the trends he sets often become a manual for other photographers. David has worked on advertising campaign projects for brands that are famous on a global scale.

David LaChapelle always creates images that are full of freedom, a bit of weirdness, and sometimes fun, while always looking unique and grandiose. Working with such a talented photographer is a huge honor: his photos can be founded on the pages of globally-known magazines like Vogue, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, i-D, Vibe, The Face, and British GQ.

David LaChapelle is also known for creating CD covers, with his clientele being the most famous stars including Elton John, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Macy Gray, No Doubt, Moby, and many others.

If you’re not proficient enough to handle image editing on the level of famous advertising photographers, don’t worry. Keep honing your skills at a comfortable pace while the professionals at WeEdit.Photos ensure your photos look their best. They will examine your images and perform all the necessary adjustments to create a beautiful, professional look without overly editing them and making them look artificial.

Location: France
Brand collaborations: Versace, Swarovski, Bourjois, Ungaro, Weston, Biotherm

Expert commercial photographer and digital retoucher who has amassed over 10 years of experience, Ian is a master of product, fashion, and beauty photography. You can see the representation of his mastery in a long line of advertising campaigns that were shown all across the globe.

Abela has been involved in photography since he was a kid, as he asked his schoolmates to pose for different creative shots. Ian’s creative approach quickly got him noticed by the fashion and makeup industries that helped him launch his career as a photographer who is now in demand all around the planet.

Ian Abela is a self-taught legend who not only takes photos but also retouches them to achieve the exact look he wants. Thanks to his studio in Paris and top-tier equipment, this French photographer has everything he needs to handle every step of a commercial photography project regardless of what brand he’s working with.

Location: Switzerland
Brand collaborations: Chanel, L’Officiel, Vogue German, GQ, Givenchy, Toni Gard, Yamaha

Bruno spent his early years in Ascona, a beautiful small city in Switzerland. Once he turned 19, Bisang enlisted in the School of Applied Arts for Photography in Zurich and later received a photography scholarship.

After 1979, Bruno primarily offered his services as a freelance photographer in Zurich, Milan, and Munich. Nowadays, Bisang receives orders from globally-famous brands in Milan, New York, Zurich, and Paris.

The works of this advertising photographer can be found in various galleries and museums like the Little Black Gallery. Bruno’s photos are also sold at auctions, with previous sales ranging from
$368 to $11,370 depending on the format and medium of the image.

Location: Norway/USA
Brand collaborations: American Airlines, Nike, Microsoft, Puma, Hyatt, Toyota, Union Pacific

Erik Almas is among the most famous advertising photographers on the planet. Born and raised in Norway, he eventually relocated to the US to master photography. One of the weirdest facts about Erik is that he didn’t have a passion for photography or art when he was a child and his decision to start a career in photography and move to the United States was rather spontaneous.

This photo manipulation artist graduated from the Academic of Art University in 1999 and began using everything he learned from his professors to create breathtaking imagery. Almas primarily works in the advertising, lifestyle, landscape, fashion, and fine art photography genres.

Erik currently resides in San Francisco but is open to traveling anywhere if the project is interesting enough. Almas has received an array of prestigious awards for his photography and is one of the first advertising photographers many brands think of when planning a new campaign.

Location: USA
Brand collaborations: Verizon, Nike, Adidas, NFL, Budweiser, Microsoft, Tecate, AT&T

Tim is a globally renowned photographer who is valued for his creative approach and conceptual vision. Tadder can even be found on the list of the top 200 photographers in the world that was put together by the popular Lurzer Archive Magazine.

In 2015 Epson, the leader of the photo printing industry facilitated Tim’s status as one of the most famous advertising photographers by creating a TV ad that featured both Tadder and his work while being broadcasted all around the globe.

Tadder became an avid photography fan ever since he first visited his dad’s darkroom as a kid. He mainly collaborates with sporting and beverage brands, as his photos prominently feature athletes and individuals that represent the peak of endurance and fitness.

Location: USA
Brand collaborations: Jack Daniel’s, Bacardi, Budweiser Family of Beers, Miller Coors, Unilever, Skyy Vodka

Rob Grimm is a renowned commercial photographer and instructor. The vast majority of his work is focused on food and beverage photography, as Rob is particularly interested in working with glass and liquids. Grimm’s unique, daring style is constantly in demand by global brands that produce all kinds of drinks and food.

This entrepreneur has experience managing full-service studios in Chicago and St. Louis and provides a unique insight into commercial photography. In 2014, Rob was one of the founders of PRO EDU an educational organization that creates photography tutorials for all popular genres.

During his stay at PRO EDU, Grimm produced professional instructional videos that contained both his knowledge and the secrets and tricks used by acclaimed photographers from all around the world. At the beginning of 2020, Rob left the organization and went back to taking orders from popular brands that were interested in his services.

Location: France
Brand collaborations: PlayStation, Audi, Amnesty International, Citroen, Dr. Martens, Intel, Jose Cuervo, KIA

Since his father was a sculptor, Dimitri has developed body awareness from a very young age, which has eventually grown into a fascination with texture and materiality. Excited by all the opportunities that appeared in front of him, Daniloff started experimenting with 4×6 view cameras before gradually diving into digital art.

Nowadays, Dimitri creates lifestyle photography that features both raw elements and real subjects, while looking for the perfect balance between realism and fiction. To achieve his goal, Daniloff relies on photo manipulation ideas and Photoshop. The work Dimitri has done for PlayStation is a wonderful representation of his style: deconstructed bodies clashing against each other and questioning humanity’s limits.

Another key career point that boosted Daniloff’s popularity was his work with Daft Punk. When creating the Virtual Girl project in 2008, Dimitri merged 3D creations into his photos, providing a unique version of an augmented human. Some years down the line, the photographer shifted his focus to photogrammetry, which deals with measuring a physical space and later using software to create a 3D model with multiple viewpoints. Thanks to the inclusion of this technique, Daniloff has managed to inject the virtual world into the real one.

Location: USA
Brand collaborations: Bacardi, Corona, Lexus, Logitech, HBO, Hitachi, Nestle, Toyota, Nike

Tim has managed to create a niche for his services in the advertising photography industry. Hawley excels at handling every single step of a project while utilizing his skills and creativity to the max. The compositions he comes up with often deal with futuristic, alternate realities that invite the viewer to see a product in a new, unconventional light.

Tim has worked with a long list of popular brands while also cooperating with big advertising agencies. Hawley excels at rising to the occasion when faced with new challenges posed by influencers and trendsetters. He takes the provided concept and implements it in the most creative, captivating way possible.

Some of the most notable organizations that Tim has collaborated with include Communication Arts, American Photography, American Aperture Awards, International Photography Awards, International Kontinent Awards, etc.

Location: India
Brand collaborations: Coca-Cola, Nike, Intel, Evian, IBM, Colgate

Haksar is one of the most famous commercial photographers who primarily works in the still life, advertising, fashion, and travel genres. He founded the OneEyeland company and has managed to win over 200 awards of different levels of prestige. The platform hosts over 83 thousand registered users and receives more than 8.5 million visits per year.

Sharad is the sole photographer from Asia to get 21 honorable mentions, 2 Bronzes, Silver, and Gold at the International Photography Awards. He also got the Silver Lion at Cannes, was nominated at the D&AD and received the title of the Photographer of the Year in India. He’s a part of the 200 Best Photographers in the World list by Luerzer’s Archive and has many other accolades.

Haksar does most of his work from the Eye-Light Pictures Studio in Chennai. When he’s not busy creating stunning photography, Sharad works in an advertising hot shop – 1pointsize.

Location: The Netherlands
Brand collaborations: Microsoft, Levi’s, Nokia, Diesel Jeans, Heineken

Olaf is widely known for his artistic and commercial photography. He also received the Photographer of the Year title at the International Color Awards in 2006 as well as the Artist of the Year award given out by the Kunstbeeld magazine in 2007.

Erwin enjoys moviemaking and produces films that run in parallel to his color photography. His work was prominently featured in museums and at film festivals around the globe. The most notable exhibitions include the Museum at FIT in New York, the Reina Sofia National Museum in Madrid, and the Fashion Film Festival at Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Olaf’s photography has also been displayed in galleries and museums across different countries. Lucky viewers had the chance to see his photos at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Moscow FotoMuseum, the Hong Kong Tapper-Popermajer gallery, and the New York Bilbao Art Centre. Erwin’s most popular photography series are called Grief, Rain, and Royal Blood. Olaf is often considered to be a controversial and provocative photographer. His daring reputation led to a situation where his photos weren’t accepted at a show because they weren’t provocative enough and didn’t include any nudity.

Location: USA
Brand collaborations: DDB, DDB Remedy, Hub Strategy, Townhouse, JVST, Virgin Records, Decibel, Magnet

Stacey & Jason are a couple of artistic, creative, and ambitious individuals that put together a still & motion team of two members: director photographer Jason Mitchell and digital artist/set designer – Stacey Ransom.

They employ their portrait photography skills to create masterpieces that invite viewers to discover previously unseen worlds that they won’t find anywhere else. Their photos are very story-heavy and detailed, which is the main reason why their work is so immersive and captivating.

You can see the photos created by Ransom & Mitchell in different locations around the globe, including Tokyo, New York, Berlin, San Francisco, Prague, and other major cities. Their slogan, “Make the impossible practical,” is the perfect representation of their photography, CG, motion, and digital art work.

Location: Spain
Brand collaborations: Tide, Canon, Nike, Ford, Rexona, Axe, Sprite

Sigal is a globally-known photographer and director who has won countless awards. His work offers a mixture of the human element with surrealism and is consistently being supported by perfect lighting and composition. Regardless of whether Martin is taking photos of people, cars, products, or nature scenes, he always manages to show the subject from a new, often unexpected, perspective.

Sigal is a top advertising photographer who has received numerous accolades at the most popular festivals in the world including Cannes, Clio, D&D, NYF, Lapiz, Fiap & Circulo de Creativos, etc. Martin was also featured in the Photography Annual of Comarts magazine and was included 3 times in the annual list of the 200 Best Photographers Worldwide published by Luerzer’s Archive.

When it comes to collaboration, Sigal has proven to show a friendly demeanor paired with unparalleled creativity that ensures his clients can freely talk to him and make suggestions while being certain the delivered results will be of the highest possible quality. To deliver images to his clients, he always uses Referral Rock, as the service guarantees smooth and secure sharing experience.

Location: USA
Brand collaborations: Mercedes Benz, Microsoft, Columbia Pictures, SBE Entertainment, Volkswagen, Whirlpool, Google

Dana is one of the most famous advertising photographers in Los Angeles who has over 20 years of professional experience behind his back. Hursey is an incredibly versatile artist that isn’t limited to a single genre and can confidently work on still life and large-scale landscape projects with equal success.

Hursey got his BFA in Photography at the Art Center College of Design, which he often visits as a guest speaker and workshop curator. Dana is also the current President of APA (America Photographic Artists), the country’s main advocacy organization for commercial photographers.

Hursey has received accolades for both his commercial and artistic photography, and his work has been prominently featured at individual exhibitions both in the United States and around the world. Dana holds the title of one of “L.A.’s Top Photographers” and is a part of the 200 Best Ad Photographers Worldwide list published by Lurzer’s Archive.

Location: USA
Brand collaborations: Hilton Hotels, PRADA, Bottega Veneta, Hyatt Regency, Tiny Jewel Box, Crest Hill – Whole Foods

Greg is an advertising photographer from New York who works in the product, food, interior, still life, and fashion genres and enjoys traveling around the country to work on new, exciting projects.

Powers is a proven master of modern photography, as he expertly arranges props and instructs models to achieve the perfect shot for each creative idea that pops up in his head. Greg relies on state-of-the-art technology and gear to highlight the most appealing features of every service or product that he was entrusted to create an image for.

As for aspiring advertising photographers, Powers recommends becoming an intern for a reputable commercial photographer or doing freelance work while building up your resume towards larger deals in the industries you’re interested in. Search for collaboration opportunities with graphic designers, creative directors, and models.

Location: USA
Brand collaborations: Gucci, Sisley, Miu Miu, Levi’s, Eres, Chloe, APC, Carolina Herrera, Nike, Kenneth Cole

Terry Richardson is a top advertising photographer who is known around the globe as one of the most interesting, active, and convincing artists of his generation. He has a unique talent to capture the most unexpected moments of reality that allowed him to build a reputation as a scandalous yet genius photographer.

Terry was born in New York but grew up in Hollywood. That’s where he started to capture the world around him with his camera while simultaneously graduating from Hollywood Highschool and playing in a punk rock band. From that point onward, he never let the camera out of his hands.

Richardson also collaborates with the most prestigious magazines in the world like Vogue, French Vogue, British Vogue, Japanese Vogue, I-D, Dazed and Confused, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar, W, and Purple.