The technique of photography was developed in the 1830's, but it wasn't until much later that the métier of fashion photography came into existence, as the inability to mass produce images created by the daguerreotype limited the production of fashion photographs in magazines. This type of editorial photography wasn't possible until the beginning of the 20th century with the advances in half-tone printing techniques.
The first Fashion Magazines - Harper's Bazaar and Vogue - were initially illustrated by hand, but then went on to use photography as an advertising tool after Conde Nast hired Baron Adolph de Meyer to photograph fashion portraiture in 1913. Vogue, in particular, launched some of the greatest fashion photographers, first of all Adolphe De Meyer, who is also considered the first fashion photographer. In the same years were appearing other important names in the world of fashion photography,such as Edward Steichen and Cecil Beaton. After the second world war, fashion had a great recovery and in the world of fashion photography appeared names such Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Norman Parkinson and many others.
Fashion Photography now has two main categories, although the lines between these are quickly fading - commercial and art. The most important present fashion photographers are : Mario Testino,Oliviero Toscani , Annie Leibowitz ,Peter Lindberg and David Lachapelle.
