New York City based photographer Curtis Eberhardt started out studying cinema and painting at the Art Institute of Chicago, and then later moving to NY and getting his Fine Arts Masters degree in painting at NYU. Painting awakened the interest in photography from an earlier stage in his life, and now he’s shooting fulltime: “- I was most influenced by studying at the Art Institute of Chicago and studying cinema and painting there, especially the cinematic work and teachings there of Stan Brakhage. The Avant Garde cinema world was very strong there and I try to convey a cinematic vision in my photographic work.”
He is also inspired by the works of Steven Meisel, Guy Bourdin, William Eggleston, Edward Steicen, Sarah Moon, Deborah Turbeville and many of the predominately female fashion photographers he’s discovered on Flickr: “- There’s a certain female sensibility that seems consciously or unconsciously inspired by Deborah Turbeville and has been expanded upon. A lot of the work I’ve discovered there transcends being dependent on “fashion” for it to be relevant as art. I’m interested in work that’s timeless.”
His work has been featured in magazines such as Soma Magazine, Yes, Please, Sleek, Harper’s Bazaar, Manhattan, Vanidad, Style Monte Carlo, Allure, Vogue, and many more. Recently he’s been shooting quite a bit of Mercura glasses, a brand that has been getting a lot of attention lately with Elton John on the cover of Pop:” - I shoot them a lot as I love the feeling they bring to any shoot -cool, hip, mysterious, fun and sophisticated all at the same time.”
Curtis’ plans for the future are to keep pushing his sense of discovery and staying inspired, as well as finding interesting editorials and commercial jobs that are looking for a unique vision. He’s also exploring shoots that includes only him and the model: “- After so much work with high fashion and large teams I’m interested in the intimacy captured and revealed by the model when she’s alone, and I like process of dialogue that leads to this.”
Here’s some of his work:
Check out his portfolio here, and his flickr here.
