The Magnificently Macabre Photography of Miss Lakune.

If Heaven and Hell could be combined in an artistic photograph, the beautiful and talented Miss Lakune, has done so with her ethereally disturbing Gothic photographs. The perfect images for the month in which Halloween lies, her work is both simultaneously repelling and compelling.

Photographer Wendy Hope Takes First Place in PDN's "The Look" Contest

Brooklyn-based beauty and fashion photographer Wendy Hope has been awarded first place in the beauty category of PDN's "The Look" contest. Her winning image (above), "Onyx Blue Electric Spike" is from the series "The Tao of Wu," a nail art beauty shoot with model Wu Ting Ting of Wilhelmina Models, makeup artist Margina Dennis and manicurist Honey.

Here are more images from Wendy's Tao of Wu series, followed by some of my favorite images of hers:





Credits for above photos:
Publication: Fault magazine
Photography: Wendy Hope @Maxine Tall Management
Model: Wu Ting Ting@Wilhelmina Models
Manicure: Nailz by Honey
Make up: Margina Dennis
Photography Assistant: Colleen Lidz
Concept: Wendy Hope
Retouching: Mdf Retouching

For the last 10 years Wendy Hope has proven herself as a versatile, multi-faceted photographer and visual artist. She exhibits a diverse range of approaches to her subject matter, from clean, crisp and conceptual beauty to vibrant, glossy music and celebrity portraits and advertising. Below are a few of my favorite photographs from her.










Her impressive list of clients includes the following:
• Neiman Marcus
• Carson-Softsheen Dark & Lovely
• Scratch Magazine UK
• Wella Hair
• Pastry Footwear by Vanessa and Angela Simmons
• MTV
• Phat Farm
• Head Footwear
• Rolling Stone Magazine
• Essence Magazine
• Latina Magazine
• Sebastian Hair
• Vida Shoes Int'l
• Run Athletics
• Babyphat
• Epson and Fox Films
• Seventeen Magazine

Wendy Hope is a born and raised New Yorker currently residing in Brooklyn with 2 cats and a 4 foot Iguana named Godzilla.

Take a look at her fab portfolio on pdn here or go to her website here

Wendy Hope is represented in new York by Maxine Tall Management

Thanks to PDN for info and Wendy for the fabulous photos.

Steven Klein's Futuristic Fashion Editorial For Vogue - 6 Stunning Spreads

A longtime fan of Steven Klein's photography, I'm always impressed by his unusual look of fashion editorials and ads without sacrificing the products he is featuring.

In his latest work for the 2013 September issue of Vogue, The Final Frontier, he incorporates the modern and somewhat steampunk / post-apocalyptic steel house of late architect/artist Robert Bruno as the backdrop for his vision of the future. Klein's work is so beautifully composed, there are images within the images, which is why I've included several enlarged and cropped details for you as well as the original photos.

Clothes and coats with modern lines in predominantly solid colors pop from his magenta-blue saturated images and even Google Glass makes an appearance as the eyewear of choice.

Below are the six beautiful fashion spreads (and close-ups), complete with Vogue's description and prices of the featured fashions.

Sight Lines:

detail:

above: Outfitted in Google Glass, model Raquel Zimmermann embodies a sleek chic stripped of both embellishment and gimmick. Oscar de la Renta teal cashgora coat, $4,490; Oscar de la Renta boutiques. Gucci black leather turtleneck, $2,300; select Gucci boutiques. Michael Kors patent leather gloves and belt.

Heavy Metal

details:


above: Spare planes of fabric are carved into organic shapes—an intersection of hypermodern and earthy, underscored by the setting: an experimental house of 110 tons of rusted steel, built by the late architect Robert Bruno near Lubbock, Texas. Bottega Veneta saffron wool-cashmere coat, $2,750; Bottega Veneta boutiques. Etro belt. On Toni Garrn (above): Dior wool coat; Dior boutiques. On Niklas Garrn (far right): Dior Homme suit throughout.

Forbidding Planet

details:


above: Cloaked against the autumn chill in monochrome coats or suits, the trio wanders Ransom Canyon like future humans returned to an abandoned Earth. On Raquel: Stella McCartney amethyst felted-bouclé coat, $3,855; Stella McCartney, NYC. Michael Kors leather gloves. On Toni: Calvin Klein Collection white coat, $2,795; Calvin Klein Collection, NYC. Reed Krakoff boots. Google Glass throughout.

Tripping The Light Fantastic

details:


above: Built for women who seem to be really, really going places: practical, everyday chic—no fidgety patterns or trims to muck up travel, intergalactic or otherwise. On Raquel: Narciso Rodriguez tangerine shift, $1,895; neimanmarcus.com. Céline necklace. Michael Kors heels. On Toni: Balenciaga wool-mohair sweater with plaster effect ($1,545), crepe pants ($1,235), and boots; clothing at Balenciaga, NYC. On Niklas: de Grisogono watch.

Command and Control

details:


above: Purified lines and simplified structures are a perfect fashion strategy for taking over the office (or the planet). Right: Gucci purple wool-and-silk deep V-neck coat ($3,200) and leather turtleneck ($2,300); select Gucci boutiques. Lara Bohinc ring. Below: Chanel black-and-white jersey dress; select Chanel boutiques.

Bang! Pow!

details:


above: When colors and cuts pack as much impact as this, the Space Age, it would seem, is not as austere as we may have feared. Tom Ford black and orange jersey dresses with comic-book beaded motifs; Tom Ford, Beverly Hills. Casadei ankle boots. Right: Giuseppe Zanotti Design platinum necklace.

Credits:
Photographer: Steven Klein
Publication: Vogue US
Fashion Editor: Tonne Goodman
hair by Garren for Garren New York Salon
makeup by Val Garland
Produced by Tracy Whiting for North Six.
eyewear, Google Glass

Despite Duo Dior Dress Debacles, Jennifer Lawrence Is Picture Perfect In New Miss Dior Campaign.

Despite her difficulties donning Dior Couture - she experienced one wardrobe malfunction at The 2013 SAG awards (photo below) and her pink Dior Couture gown caused her to trip ascending the stairs to collect her Best Actress Oscar at last week's Academy Awards - Jennifer Lawrence is the new face of Miss Dior's Spring handbag line and was photographed by Belgian photographer Willy Vanderperre for the new ad campaign (images shown further down in the post).



above: Not one, but two, Dior dress debacles for Jennifer Lawrence as she goes to the stage to receive her honors at the SAG Awards and The Oscars, respectively.

In the new stunning color and black and white photos the 22 year old actress wears pieces from Dior's Spring 2013 ready-to-wear collection including a white tuxedo dress, a black trouser suit, a netted veil and the key styles from the Miss Dior handbag line.





Jennifer told WWD: 'It's such a dream to represent an iconic brand that is synonymous with high fashion. It's impossible to be in the industry without getting even the slightest introduction to fashion.'




Ever since the actress was named as the new face of the handbag line, replacing actress Mila Kunis, she has hit the red carpet during the 2013 awards season in a string of stunning Dior gowns and dresses:




above: Jennifer Lawrence wearing seven different Dior gowns or dresses to award shows and premieres

Dresses include the troublesome midnight blue dress that she wore to the SAG Awards in January, the embellished blush pink gown that she chose for the BAFTAs last month and, most recently, the pale pink and white Fairytale-like strapless gown she donned to collect her Best Actress Oscar.

And if you are not aware of the hilarious viral Dior Ad spoof by i-nsan, take a look:



A look at the making of the Miss Dior handbag campaign:

additional info courtesy of Marie Claire 

Dior Couture
Willy Vanderperre

Lado Alexi's Hauntingly Beautiful Amazones.

Russian-born and German-based fashion and beauty photographer Lado Alexi has many stunning images to his credit. His impressive clients include Vogue, Estee Lauder, Swarovski, YSL, Tush Beauty, Triumph Lingerie, HYPE and Icon Magazine to name a few. But his series of portraits titled Amazones II blends beauty with incredible makeup and styling for such hauntingly gothic portraits, I wanted to share them with you here.



Used on the cover and in a Fall 2011 editorial called Witchcraft in HYPE Magazine, the model is Yulia Petrova, with stunning make-up by Loni Baur, hair by Karim Amerchih and fabulously styled by Nadia Rath who frequently works with Alexi. Only 6 of the 7 images (all shown here) from the series were used in the publication.








In a brief interview with Art+Commerce, Lado answers a few key questions about his photography and inspiration:

What interested you about becoming a photographer?
– Strong interest in film and fashion. The fascination of capturing mechanically time and the visual power one single image can develop. As a son of actress and a doctor in Moscow photography was a good way to reflect the world around.

Where do you find inspiration to make your photographs?
– Mostly in cinema - but also art, music and daily observation. Sometimes also a certain mood, or thing that happen in the world.

What do you most like to photograph?
– Faces and people.

Who are your favorite photographers?
– Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, Helmut Newton, Patrick Demarchelier, NIck Knight and many more.

See more of Lado Alexi's beautiful photography here.