Who Shot Vogue China’s 10th Anniversary Cover?

4 minutes

For the past couple of days, the tenth-anniversary cover of Vogue China has been all over my social-media feed. What really went viral, though, was an article titled “Everybody Shut Up: In Defense of Vogue China’s 10th Anniversary Cover.” It poked fun at the fashion spread and recounted the magazine’s bizarre history as the “greatest magazine in the universe.” Honestly, its Chinese title, Vogue Fashion & Beauty, is already funny enough.

The article also compared the cover with Vanity Fair’s 2012 Hollywood issue. I will not argue which photo is better. What I do want to point out is that both were taken by the same photographer: Mario Testino, whose name appears below the row of Chinese actresses with a credit saying he “graciously photographed” them. It is surprising once you notice. So who exactly is Mario?

Mario Testino was born in Peru, South America, in 1954. His father was an Italian immigrant, and his mother was of Irish and Spanish descent. Even while studying economics at the University of Lima, Testino was already something of an eccentric, wearing pink bell-bottoms and platform shoes.

In 1976, he went to open-minded, liberal London to study photography. Money was tight at first: he waited tables and lived in an apartment converted from a hospital. He charged aspiring models £25 for “test shots,” including hair and makeup. Later, he took out a bank loan to launch his career, and it took him fifteen years to pay it off.

He was determined to become a fashion photographer. Every day he called magazines to pitch himself, and he dyed his hair pink to get noticed. Eventually he started staking out the Vogue office in London; editors were so pressed that they hid behind clothing racks. In time, Vogue began to recognize his work and determination.

In 1995, he photographed his first celebrity: Madonna. The Versace shoot was billed “Versace presents Madonna by Testino.” His name became a major personal brand.

In 1997, Testino photographed the cover of Madonna’s album Ray of Light. Around two in the afternoon, Madonna said, “I’m tired. Let’s leave it here.” Testino replied, “But I haven’t taken a good picture yet.” The pop queen snapped, “You work for me. When I say we’re done, we’re done.” Testino insisted on continuing until he was satisfied, and eventually made the classic cover.

That same year, Vanity Fair commissioned him to photograph Princess Diana. The issue went on sale in July; on August 31, Diana died suddenly in a car crash. Her graceful, relaxed radiance in Testino’s photographs became the last image she left the world.

Testino went on to become the British royal family’s photographer of choice.

Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales

The British royal family’s latest official portrait, 2015

In the fashion industry, Testino’s style is known as “Luxury Realism.” Anna Wintour, the Vogue editor-in-chief who inspired The Devil Wears Prada, said: “People love being photographed by him. He has an innate sense of fashion.” Here are a few of the “people” he has photographed:

Angelina Jolie

Gisele Bündchen

Keith Richards and Mick Jagger

Kate Moss

Gwyneth Paltrow

Shu Yin Niang

So here is the question: Why did a group portrait of Chinese actresses by one of the world’s top fashion photographers draw so much criticism from Chinese readers? Vote or leave a comment and tell me.