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Commercial and artistic photography are usually viewed as oppositional. However, for numerous modern photographers, the combination of commercial, editorial, and personal projects initiates a vibrant conversation between these ostensibly distinct segments. We highlight five photographers who have each cultivated a multifarious and unique career in image creation. For some, this entails sustaining a coherent aesthetic and conceptual methodology, whether capturing an upscale automobile or a pile of documents. Others find inspiration in the contrasts, recognizing worth in the creative limits provided by commercial endeavors alongside the boundless prospects of their individual practice. These creators honor the strength of collaboration, whether gleaning insights from the teams involved in commercial initiatives or inviting art directors into the often solitary journey of documentary photography. By traversing traditionally separated formats and structured working practices, these photographers unearth innovative new methods of producing images in a world that is already awash with them.
Mattia Balsamini
Works from Protege Noctem, co-authored by Mattia Balsamini and Raffaele Panizza
(Image credit: Courtesy of photographer)
Mattia Balsamini commenced his professional journey by assisting David LaChapelle, a photographer adept at navigating the realms of commercial, artistic, and celebrity photography. Since then, Balsamini has collaborated with brands such as Lamborghini, Valentino, and Swatch, coordinating with institutions like MIT and NASA, while also enjoying the opportunity to cultivate his own aesthetic through editorial projects. ‘It provides the chance to experiment within your aesthetic. It compels you to think swiftly. I truly discovered my identity as a photographer through editorial work.’
The items featured in Balsamini’s creations, such as automobiles, scientific apparatus, or minute watch components, assume a grand scale, imbued with moody shadows and vivid hues. His unique visual language persists across many of his endeavors, regardless of the client or subject matter. ‘Commercial work isn’t solely about generating profit; many of us genuinely aspire to integrate. Individuals who capture images are captivated by content, form, and the enigma of existence. The world is extraordinarily fascinating, and it all merits representation.’
His latest publication Protege Noctem was co-created with author Raffaele Panizza. The duo traveled worldwide to converse with scientists and individuals ‘championing darkness’ by protesting against the excessive use of artificial light that disrupts surrounding environments. This project amalgamated all his fascinations: technology and functionality; ambiance; poetry and wonder. He relished the unrestricted nature of the project, which emphasizes environmental themes and has further influenced his commissioned pieces. ‘Following that book, my commercial endeavors were significantly informed by shadows, imperfections, and those colors,’ he remarks. ‘These personal undertakings assist you in elucidating your identity as a photographer. You recalibrate. And you integrate all that you’ve absorbed from commercial experiences into that.’
Tina Tyrell
Along for the Ride from the ‘Youth Climate March’ series
(Image credit: Courtesy of photographer)
(Image credit: Courtesy of photographer)
Tina Tyrell captures expressive portraits of prominent figures – Mark Ruffalo in a virtuous stance or Lily Gladstone igniting a fire near her cupped hand – alongside her experimental creations, which encompass found film, documentary photography, and staged family portraits. For Tyrell, navigating the commercial and artistic landscapes involves transitioning between analog and digital mediums. ‘I’ve been in this divided mental space endlessly,’ she remarks. ‘In high school, I trained with black and white film. That has always been my comfort zone. As I entered adulthood and endeavored to build a career, that all became obsolete as everything transitioned to digital.’ While her editorial photographs resonate differently from her personal works, she seeks a sense of human connection in all her pieces. ‘I adore photographing people,’ Tyrell states. ‘I find connection there, which transcends across various forms. When I engage in a commercial project, it typically involves a celebrity allied with a fashion brand. Yet almost all the time, it features a person, allowing me to construct a narrative with them.’
Tyrell persists in utilizing film for her personal creations. She is captivated by the historical essence of photography, particularly attracted to images that evoke a sense of timelessness. Children frequently appear, captured in fleeting moments through her lens before they transform and mature. For instance, her photograph from a youth climate march shows the back of a young woman’s head as she advances. Another series was inspired by her find of a box of 4 x 5 Kodak negatives in a West Virginia barn belonging to her relatives, showcasing her husband’s great-grandfather’s Manhattan townhouse. She printed these and displayed them alongside images of her own children positioned in front of the barn. ‘The more commercial aspect of my work becomes, the more liberated I feel to express myself poetically and whimsically on the other side,’ she expresses.
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Gabby Laurent
(Image credit: Courtesy of photographer)
From the ‘Overkill’ series
(Image credit: Courtesy of photographer)
Gabby Laurent’s personal endeavors frequently center on herself as a subject, assuming a performative stance, tumbling and leaping before the lens. Her whimsical photographs investigate motifs of domesticity and motherhood, while also celebrating the tactile aspect of image creation, whether that entails framing her C-prints with padded material or employing cut-outs to produce remarkable in-camera effects.
‘My personal projects are quite unique,’ she states. ‘It’s meant for me; I am not doing it for anyone else’s approval. It emerges from a very subconscious place.’ Conversely, commercial assignments, capturing for brands like Simone Rocha and Stella McCartney, involve a team aiming toward a shared objective. Despite their differing methodologies, she perceives a connection between the varied contexts. ‘I do see commercial shoots as significantly performance-oriented,’ says Laurent. ‘There’s a model, there’s make-up. Commercial assignments need to be very persuasive, yet it is still a performance. As the photographer, it’s important to know how to guide that.’
Laurent occasionally collaborates with familial members on her personal projects. Her unborn child appears in some images as a pregnant form, while her recent ‘Red Whirlpool’ series was made alongside her daughter. They released milk, food coloring, and water down the sink, capturing the extraordinary swirl as it cascaded. ‘I cherish that it was a joint piece with her,’ she expresses.
While her personal creations resonate with the radical feminists of the 20th century who intertwined performance and domesticity, it also reflects her current realities. ‘My circumstances right now do encompass much of the domestic,’ says Laurent. ‘Part of it involves a practical challenge concerning when I am able to produce my own work. Especially being a parent, you seize your opportunities as they arise. This is currently my internal landscape, and, quite practically, home is where I spend the majority of my time.’
Kohei Kawatani
Work from the ‘Tofu-Knife’ (left)
(Image credit: Courtesy of photographer)
Work from the ‘Edible Bling for UHA’ series
(Image credit: Courtesy of photographer)
Routine and luxury objects receive equivalent focus in Kohei Kawatani’s vibrant digital images. As an artist, he has garnered accolades at the Japan Photo Award 2019 and the Kassel Dummy Award 2020 for ‘Tofu-Knife’. This collection showcases items such as rubber gloves, houseplants, and stair rails, documented with scientific accuracy and photographed in a way that evokes both artistic status and commerciality. He has also collaborated with Loewe and the cult Japanese sweet brand Unique Human Adventure.
Kawatani delights in the fluidity between high and low culture. ‘Loewe produces such high-end items, so you display them in the opposite manner. In a kitschy style,’ he remarks. ‘I have adopted the notion of altering value from the art realm. Just like Duchamp or Warhol, the inexpensive can become exceptional. I enjoy shifting viewpoints. I’m not a serious fellow! Sometimes there’s a concept, and at other times, it just appears attractive.’
Kawatani didn’t pursue art school, which he believes affords him a distinct perspective. His visuals feel most at home in the online realm, particularly on social media, and he holds mixed feelings regarding producing images for sale. ‘The essential part for me is the creation of the images. I harbor considerable skepticism about selling prints from a digital camera. An edition feels akin to a counterfeit,’ he chuckles. Rather than dismiss this format, he is intrigued by probing the significance of printed digital images, the outcomes of which will be exhibited at the Tokyo gallery Parcel next autumn. Similarly, he embraces the intertwined nature of commerce and art, reflecting the realities of our society. ‘Capitalism is expanding, and engaging in the commercial sector provides me a unique viewpoint on this. Photographers are the only artists who can operate so fluidly from both sides. What is significant to clients is evolving, and I can glean a lot from their perspectives. The trend leans toward darker or rough images. Perhaps it’s mirroring the world’s conflicts.’
Kalpesh Lathigra
Works from ‘The Plunging Shore’ series, art directed by Eugenia Skvarska
(Image credit: Courtesy of photographer)
Works from ‘The Plunging Shore’ series, art directed by Eugenia Skvarska
(Image credit: Courtesy of photographer)
Kalpesh Lathigra has spent 30 years as a war photographer and celebrity portraitist. His documentary work has led him from Romania to Afghanistan, and he has captured numerous celebrities, including Joan Collins, Carey Mulligan, and Idris Elba, devoid of the typical glamour and digital enhancements, for ‘A Democratic Portrait’. He discovered a new approach after meeting Eugenia Skvarska at Central Saint Martins, where she served as a guest lecturer for her Master’s program in fashion communication. With Skvarska as the art director, they opted to photograph her homeland, Ukraine. ‘I wasn’t drawn to the concept of war or conflict in the conventional sense,’ Lathigra shares. ‘I was captivated by Eugenia’s tale and her connection to the nation.’
The initiative is
“`focused around the Dnipro river, which flows through the heart of the nation. ‘You can’t even envision what’s transpiring amidst this beauty,’ remarks Skvarska, who suspended her fashion and art directing endeavors following Russia’s incursion. ‘In light of the war, fashion felt trivial.’
It was essential for both to not only highlight the ruin engulfing the nation but also its landscape and inhabitants. Partly to counteract the trauma fatigue that viewers experience towards depictions of devastation, they aspired to weave together the region’s sorrow with its optimism and heritage. Lathigra would frequently zoom out from areas of destruction, depicting them instead in the background or at an angle. ‘This is cultural diplomacy,’ Skvarska articulates. ‘People are largely unaware of Ukrainian culture. Crafting this narrative piece by piece, showcasing the resilience of individuals who swim in the river during summer, family time, is captivating.’ Lathigra refers to this as fundamentally Skvarska’s initiative. ‘Once upon a time, I would be traveling across the globe. It was the notion of the Western viewpoint. Now we possess the means for locals to narrate their own experiences.’
A version of this article is published in the January 2025 issue of Wallpaper* , accessible in print on worldwide newsstands, through the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and available to Apple News + subscribers. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
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