Sarah Moon is a French photographer born in 1941 into a Jewish family forced to leave occupied France. She went to England and there studied drawing. She modeled from 1960 to 1966, and turned to photography in 1970. In 1972, she shot the Pirelli calendar, the first woman to do so. After working for a long time with Cacharel, her reputation grew and she also received commissions from Chanel, Dior, Comme des Garçons and Vogue. In 1985, she moved into gallery and film work, even making a pop video, Aicha by Khaled.

At age 74, she is still living and working in Paris.

Sarah Moon’s work has been described as ethereal, elegant, timeless, atmospheric. And even though she’s known as a fashion photographer, her abstract and painterly work is more artistic than anything.

Needless to say, I really like Sarah moon because of her artistry. Her use of colors, shapes, and textures as compositional elements appeal to me and inspired me to create these images of Rachel Connolly. A big part of SM’s images are the styling: clothing, big hats, funky shoes, and cool backgrounds so I asked Rachel to “dress up”.

SM generally used natural light, or giant “hot” movie lights. For my shots, I went with window light. I had to punch up the ISO to around 2500 for proper exposure, but it didn’t matter, since “noise” fits well with her style.

I found these textures and borders thanks to Don Giannatti: lostandtaken.com
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Portrait of Rachel Connolly inspired by Sarah Moon

Portrait of Rachel Connolly inspired by Sarah Moon

Portrait of Rachel Connolly inspired by Sarah Moon

Portrait of Rachel Connolly inspired by Sarah Moon

Portrait of Rachel Connolly inspired by Sarah Moon

Sarah Moon’s Bio from the Creative Exchange:

Born in England in 1940 as Marielle Hadengue, Sarah Moon has been a fashion and commercial photographer since 1968, and also a filmmaker. She is best known for her dreamlike images and her representation of femininity as free from time and context, as living in a fairy world. Although Moon has been a major participant in the world of fashion for more than three decades, she has carefully carved out her own niche — a signature style that dispenses with the erotically suggestive poses favored by many of her male counterparts in favor of the emblems of luxury and nostalgia. In the fashion work, her models are studious and disengaged, often turned away or intentionally blurred, themselves transformed to a compositional element. Mystery and sensuality are at the core of Moon’s work, whether she’s photographing haute couture, still life, or portraiture. Sarah Moon is based in Paris. 

Resources:

Creative Exchange Agency site for Sarah Moon’s current work

Sarah Moon Facebook Page

Photography NOW online gallery

Michael Hoppen Gallery

From an article in “The Independent” (UK)

“Most of all, though, Moon’s photography represents a search for that elusive and unexpected moment – at times melancholic, and even macabre, but always moving. “For a split second, I see a sparkle of beauty passing by,” she muses. “That instance of grace that I nearly missed, and that will never happen again.”

Vogue

Photo.com

Another good link