Peter Lindbergh

Peter LindberghWhite Shirts for Vogue
Photograph - Tri-X ISO50 B&W film
35mm negative
1988

Peter Lindbergh (November 23 1944-) is a German photographer who created superstars out of models in the 1980's and 90's. 

One of his first editorial shoots was of a group of models on the beach for Vogue magazine. The editor at the time was not impressed with the photos. 

Lindbergh said, "Early in my career American Vogue contacted me. The style of fashion photography was much different then. I met with Alexander Liberman, and he said, 'You are a young photographer, so why tell me that you don’t want to work for American Vogue? We are the leading fashion magazine.' I said, 'I can’t match my mind with your image of a woman – the perfect makeup, the perfect hair, always in the most beautiful apartment. That is not my feeling of a woman.' And he said, 'Okay. Do a story and bring me back some pictures of what you think a woman could be.' I went to L.A. with an editor, Carlyn Cerf du Dudzeele. The first problem was with the fashion. I said, 'Let’s put a great cast of models together and put them all in just white shirts.' We went to the beach with Tatjana Patitz, Linda Evangelista, ChristyTurlington, Karen Alexander, Rachel Williams, and Estelle Hallyday, and I shot them totally natural. I still love the pictures. I came back to New York, and everyone just looked at each other and said, 'Hmmmm, it’s great...' They didn’t know what to do with them. The pictures ended up running small in a story about how hair could be loose on the beach."

Linda Evangelist and Christy Turlington went on to become two of Lindbergh's favorite subjects. Both could be considered his muses. He created so many iconic images of both of them and made them internationally famous.