WEBER, BRUCE

(1949- )

Weber was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, to a well-to-do businessman father, who was also an amateur photographer. He began his career in 1978 with a two-page spread of water polo player Jeff Aquilon, a nonprofessionalmodel, who Weber photographed half naked with his hands down his boxer shorts. This new erotic photographic style was later used in 1982 byCalvin Klein, featuring Olympic pole-vaulter Tom Hintnaus, to sell underwear on billboards in Times Square. Weber's work, which is mostly black and white, was regularly featured throughout the 1980s inGQ,Vogue,British Vogue,Vanity Fair, andL'Uomo Vogue. He has shot major ad campaigns forRalph Lauren,Versace, andAbercrombie&Fitchand won the International Center of Photography's Lifetime Achievement Award. Other achievements include sixteen published books, music videos for the Pet Shop Boys, and several documentary films; he is also credited with launching the modeling career of Isabella Rosselini. In 2006, Weber was commissioned to photograph the Ralph Lauren fall collection ad campaign. He is considered one of the top tenfashion photographersof the last century.