The talented Mr. Slimane may have left Dior Homme behind him but by no means has his creative career come to a halt. With many projects in the pipeline and even more rumors circulating on what his next big move may be, there is much to anticipate in the future. In the meantime, however, there is a different angle of Hedi’s talent to admire: his striking photography.
A longtime hobby that has recently gained much attention, his photography is unique and as recognizable as his general style. Hedi’s photos capture the very essence of their subject; they are minimal in composition, yet very powerful in the same instance.
Utilizing the dramatic contrast between black and white to his advantage, Slimane’s photos are a harmonious combination of strong shadows and soft light. Most importantly of all, he possesses the inherent ability to capture the very essence of his subjects.
On the photo diary portion of his website, there are archives with years worth of photos, featuring everyone from teenage indie rock kids to Amy Winehouse as his subjects.
In the past few months, we’ve been lucky enough to catch some high profile editorials shot by the man himself. Two of the most stand-out spreads featured the likes of model Sasha Pivovarova and musician, Josh Beech. Sasha’s editorial entitled ‘Simplement Couture’, styled by Emmanuelle Alt, was featured in last month’s issue of Vogue Paris and has turned many heads. On a dark background with light shining from the right side of the frame, this editorial is the perfect example of Slimane’s knack for powerful simplicity. These photos have it all; fantastic compositions, lighting and mood, meanwhile Sasha’s expressiveness shines through beautifully.
The spread featuring Snish lead singer, Josh Beech, comes from Vogue Hommes International Spring/Summer 2008. This eye-catching set of photos was styled by Carine Roitfeld and has a fetish theme which works extremely well with Hedi’s affinity for stark contrasts. The rigidness of the fetish gear is softened by Beech’s nonchalance and Roitfeld’s unkempt styling, which, as a whole was captured well by Hedi.
So, while we will have to wait and see what all is on the horizon for Slimane, it looks like there will be plenty of visual imagery for us to adulate in the meantime.
