Ellen von Unwerth | |
|---|---|
 Ellen von Unwerth, 2019 | |
| Born | 1954 (age 71–72) |
| Occupation |
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| Awards | Editorial, Advertising and Fashion Photography award –Royal Photographic Society 2020 |
| Website | ellenvonunwerth |
Ellen von Unwerth (born 1954)[1] is a German photographer. She began her career as a fashion model, before becoming a fashion, editorial, and advertising photographer.[2]
Unwerth was born inFrankfurt, West Germany.[1] As an orphan, during her early childhood, she often ended up inBavarian foster care systems.[3] Eventually, Unwerth was able to graduate high school in Munich, where she would work as a circus magician's assistant for three years.[2]
At the age of twenty while walking down the street, Unwerth was asked by a photographer if she ever thought about having a modeling career. She decided to give modeling a chance and moved to Paris where she had a successful modeling career for 7 years.[2]
However, Unwerth felt that as a model, she did not have the freedom to decide where and how her image would be used. Her boyfriend at the time gave her a camera, leading to an impromptu photo shoot in Kenya by her of her model colleagues. When the photos were published, Unwerth decided that this was the new path she would take in life, as the demand for her photography skills outgrew her demand as a model.[1][4]
Unwerth's first notable work was when she first photographedClaudia Schiffer in 1989.[2][5] Her work has been published inVogue,[6]Vanity Fair,Interview,[7]The Face,Arena,Twill,L'Uomo Vogue,I-D,[8] andPlayboy,[9] and she has published several books of photography.
Unwerth did promotional photography forDuran Duran from 1994 to 1997 and did some photography for their 1990 albumLiberty and 1997 albumMedazzaland[10]. Her work has been used on other album covers includingBananarama'sPop Life (1991), Belinda Carlisle'sA Woman and a Man (1996),Cathy Dennis'Am I the Kinda Girl? (1996),Janet Jackson'sThe Velvet Rope (1997),All Saints'Saints & Sinners (2000),Dido'sLife for Rent (2003),Britney Spears'Blackout (2007),Christina Aguilera'sBack To Basics (2006) andKeeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits andRihanna'sRated R andTalk That Talk.[11] She also shot the cover ofHole's albumLive Through This (1994).[12]
She shows women inenticing ways withoutobjectifying them. In an interview withV Magazine, she said: "I never force women to do anything, but I give them roles to play so they are always active and empowered.[13] In a 2018 interview withHarper's Bazaar, she explained herfeminist approach to photography: "The women in my pictures are always strong, even if they are also sexy. My women always look self-assured. I try to make them look as beautiful as they can because every woman wants to feel beautiful, sexy and powerful. That's what I try to do."[7]
Unwerth's exhibitionDevotion! 30 Years of Photographing Women was created forFotografiska Stockholm in 2018, was one of the opening exhibitions atFotografiska New York in 2019 and was exhibited at Fotografiska Tallinn in 2021[14][15]
Unwerth photographedMelania Trump for the poster for Trump's 2026 documentary filmMelania.[16]
Unwerth has directed short films for fashion designers,[17] andmusic videos for several pop musicians. She has directed commercials and web films forRevlon,Clinique,L'Oreal andEquinox.
