100 Most Influential People in Fashion

Fashion Influential #61: Mario Testino

Mario Testino in Natalia Vodianova And friends Skating Away On red Square

Photographer Mario Testino is seen at the skating rink in Red Square on February 13, 2008 in Moscow, Russia. Russian model Natalia Vodianova was meeting orphans which her charity The Naked Heart will help by building playgrounds in deprived areas of Russia. Testino later photographed the Model for Vogue. Vodianova is hosting two days of events culminating in tommorow's 'Love Ball' in aid of her Charity. (Getty Images)more pics » MARIO TESTINO
Born:
October 30, 1954 in Lima, Peru
Famous subjects:
Princess Diana, Claudia Schiffer, Gisele Bundchen, Elizabeth Hurley, Gwyneth Paltrow, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julia Roberts, Janet Jackson
Shot for:
Gucci, Michael Kors, Valentino, Estee Lauder
Beginnings.
Mario Testino was born in Peru, and he attended five different universities before deciding to pursue a career in photography. He was interested in fashion but didn't have the talent for drawing or design, so taking pictures allowed him to unite his ambitions and, as his father encouraged him to do, find a career that he truly enjoyed. He moved to London when he was 22 and started selling photo portfolios to aspiring models for 25 pounds a piece, including hair and makeup.

Career Highs.
He quickly found his own style with photography, and work offers started flooding in from top fashion magazines around the world. It wasn't until 1997, when he famously photographed Princess Diana for the cover of Vogue, that Testino became an icon in the fashion industry. Since then, he has taken photos of some of the top names in the fashion and celebrity world, such as Kate Moss, Madonna, and Angelina Jolie, and has been commissioned by style mammoths including Burberry and Versace. He continues to work for Princes William and Harry.
Me, I like people. I realized a long time ago that a part of my life is my work and it's the biggest part of my life. So 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

A Mario Testino photograph of Princess Diana before her death.
Career Lows.
When he first moved to London, Testino was strapped for cash. He worked as a waiter, occasionally photographing his co-workers. In the late 1970s, he called on his bank to give him a loan to buy lights.

Legacy.
It's hard to look through a contemporary magazine that isn't littered with Testino's work, be it for ad campaigns or for feature spreads of celebrities. His work has become iconic, to the point that it has changed the face of celebrity and fashion photography, coming back to Testino's focus on the individual instead of the mechanical aspects. He has published collections of his photos, in Any Objections?, Portraits, and Diana: Princess of Wales.

Angelina Jolie by Testino.
Get the Look.
Testino's subjects are often featured in pensive poses that unite the glamorous with the everyday. Although they are often pictured in evening gowns and fine jewelry, they are also lounging on furniture (like Diana) or leaning up against walls, in this photo of Angelina Jolie. The theme is often bringing celebrity down to a more personal, intimate level.

- Olivia