Photographer: Chris Von Wangenheim

1. Photographer: Chris Von Wangenheim By Liam Casey

2. Biography • Chris von Wangenheim (born February 21, 1942) was a German fashion photographer. Born in Breslau, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland) moved to New York in 1965, where her worked as a photographers assistant until 1967. His first public appearance was in 1968 for the American edition of the fashion magazine, Haper’s Bizaar. By 1972 he had done work for several names in the fashion business including: Esquire, Playboy, Interview and Viva, though American Vogue was his main outlet. He’s also known for his advertising of several fashion names, such as Christian Dior, Calvin Klein, and Revlon. He has also taken several controversial photos of then famous fashion model, Gia Carangi. Many of these photos portrayed nudity, and homosexuality. His photo style is nothing that really stands out much. They’re mainly black and white, and used to show off some form of fashion or clothing brand. Such is the way of a fashion photographer I suppose. Sadly in March of 1981, at the age of 39 while at the peak of his success, Chris von Wangenheim lost his life in a car crash. His death affected many and even caused his favorite model Gia Carangi to start using heroin (again). His photos are the legacy of a truly talented photographer.

3. Fashion photograph for Italian Vogue1976 • gray scale. • The subject would be the woman. Now this is interesting because of the fashion sense alone. She’s got ballerina like tights, but the rest of the outfit definitely doesn’t resemble that. Her mask also makes her seem mysterious and devious. • The lighting looks artificial, and is coming from the upper right hand corner • The composition is well assorted. The majority of the background is fairly dark, but all her white clothing stands against it in dominance. • Photograph-now.com

4. Tattoo1975 • Gelatin silver print • The subject would be the tattoo artist, and the girl. I’m not quite sure what this photo is trying to communicate, though the picture almost seems violent. I mean really, that is not hoe people normally get tattooed. • The lighting is artificial, and coming in a little from the top. • There’s not really much to say about the composition. Though the paleness of her skin, and the way his leather jacket reflects the light. They add something to the photo, I’m just not sure what it is. • Vmagazine.com

5. Fetching is Your Dior 1976 • Christian Dior ad with Lisa Taylor. • Color print. • The main focus is definitely on the canine. It adds glam and fashion with a sense of illegitimacy. • The lighting would appear artificial. • Very few of his photos appear in color, so I believe it really adds to the photo. • vmagazine.com

6. Men Dancing on Beach1975 • Gray scale • The subject would obviously be the men. This photo fuses senses of grace with humor, and also makes a small stance on homosexuality. • The lighting is natural, and coming in from the left. • Considering that this was probably a magazine add of some sort, the composition and shading are just right. • Vmagazine.com

7. Christian Dior ad for sunglasses1976 • Gelatin Silver Print • The sunglasses are the focus point of the photo. They make her seem mysterious, and draw your attention. • The lighting looks artificial, and is focused straight forward. • The way the shading is helps at a striking sense of mystery, and maliciousness. • vmagazine.com

8. Untitled1978 • I don’t really know/couldn’t find much on this photo, I just added it since I already had a sufficient number of photos, and I thought it displayed his talent well. • The subject would be the girl. She looks like someone that would’ve emerged from the 1970’s punk scene. She wears heavy eyeliner, dark clothing, and smokes, oblivious to whatever society may think of her. • The lighting is natural, and looks to be coming from behind her. • The composition adds to her expression. It appears to be a bright, sunny day. A happy one. But her coat and expression contradict this. She definitely does not look happy.

9. Fun facts. • The only real “fact” I gathered from this project, is that it is almost impossible to gather little (if any) information on Chris von Wangenheim, or his photos. Which is a pity, he was a terrific photographer.