In Memoriam: Steve Hiett
© Jean Baptiste Mondino
Steve Hiett 1940-2019
Steve Hiett, known for his many talents and for his many years working in fashion photography, died at the age of 79 in Paris, where he spent most of his life.
Steve Hiett knew how to put personality into his photographs, giving them soul and magic. His fashion photography plays with very dramatic tones, resembling pop graphic imagery. It feels like you are taking a trip into a fantastic world of fashion where colors are saturated and sharp, and light is abundant. To look at his photography is to delve into a surreal world where garments and tissues are brought to life through intense and flashy colors.
Audrey Marney Creme Magazine 2004 © Steve Hiett
L’Uomo Vogue 1992 © Steve Hiett
The last picture he took was from his bed, an image of a dark hospital room where only few strips of light issue, making the composition look like a collage, which he was famous for creating with polaroids. By superposing polaroids, Steve Hiett looks at the world in more fragmentary terms, almost like piecing together a memory, into a full narrative. This image sadly marks the end of Steve Hiett journey in making colorful, gleaming and vivid images.
Vogue Paris 1998 © Steve Hiett
Julie Driscoll Eye Magazine 1969 © Steve Hiett
