DON'T MISS A THING

“Unless I enjoy this person that I am photographing, my life can be pretty boring if I treat them just like a blank canvas. I often try to bring out the girl. I am making them more important than the lighting, the concept, the idea.” – Mario Testino

Some people say an image is worth a thousand words, and for him, these boundaries are real. Models are always posing for brands, but their main goal is to capture the public with the power of a click. Bringing out the person from the portrait and letting their personalities flow into the real world is his main task. Representing feelings and characters, his works can easily leave your skin with chills. We’re talking about Mario Testino, a renowned fashion photographer.

From Peru to London, Testino met the fashion world at the age of 22. After five universities and many question marks, his life was already intended. Knowing his pure taste for fashion but his low skills for drawing, photography was his final destination. Hair, makeup, and many shots: these were the first sequences of Testino. From an anonymous public to famous models, Testino moved into fashion photography with the greatness of an artist and the ambition of a warrior. For twenty years, he created his universe, and in 1997, with the Princess Diana photo session, his name won the passport to the most famous men of lenses.

The personal style of his photography is the brand that covers the fashion clicks around the world. The framework of Testino is Gucci, Michael Kors, Valentino, and Estee Lauder, but there are many other famous names in his duets’ portfolio, like Vivienne Westwood. For a man of highlights, it’s curious to notice that the first years in London were a challenge, and he even asked his bank for a loan to buy lights. His passion was deep in his veins, and the goal of his life was never an impossible world. The light inside was like an eternal flash into his moves. Models used to say that the personal level is always achieved with the relaxing but intensive way of Testino’s work.

Now, if you have a magazine on your table, peruse it. It’s almost impossible not to find Testino’s signature in the pages and the magnificent portraits, whether it’s an ad campaign, a celebrity shot, or a cover. It’s time to let the glamour and the everyday life enters your room, behind the lenses of a genius.

Feature Image: Mario Testino attends the Mario Testino “Unfiltered” exhibition opening at 29 Arts In Progress Gallery on September 30, 2021 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

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