Some call him ‘outrageous’,while others call him a ‘genius’ and then there are some like me who consider him ‘god’ when it comes to photography.

David LaChapelle described as ‘The Fellini of photography’[by New York Magazine] presents a whole new world through his lens and when he casts his spell, you
are sucked in deeper and deeper.

Born in Connecticut, United States in 1963 , this photographer and director is well known for his vivid, intense and surreal imagery which is often wittily erotic, exuberant and full of colours.His first professional job as a photographer was offered by Andy Warhol for Interview magazine and since then there has been no stopping this ‘out of the box’ thinker.

His pictures have been published in Italian Vogue, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Vibe, The face and British GQ among others. His joyful yet edgy take on the modern, contemporary world has won him many awards such as the “Best New Photographer of the Year” (1995) by both French Photo and American Photo magazines, “Photographer of the Year Award”(1996) at the VH-1 Fashion Awards, Best “Cutting Edge Essay” and “Style Photography” at Life magazine’s Alfred Eisenstadt Awards for Magazine Photography (the Eisies) (1998), “Cover of the Year” category at the Eisies (1999) and so on.


A man with such talent obviously would extend his horizons and thereby he has directed advertisements for major stores and videos for well-known artists which got him even more prestigious awards.

LaChapelle’s film Rize, a documentary on the krumping style of dance that invaded South Central Los Angeles was released in 2005 and it gave a new form to artistic expression all over the world. Author of four books LaChapelle Land (1996), Hotel LaChapelle (1999),Artists and Prostitutes (2006) and Heaven to Hell (2006) , this photographer has never failed to amaze his audience.

LaChapelle still continues to push the boundaries and creates magic through his work which is as unique as the man himself. I have only one thing to say about this talented photographer and his refreshing work, ‘There is only one David LaChapelle and he cannot be compared to anyone else.’

BY ANWESHA MANDAL

For more information and pictures, go to www.davidlachapelle.com