von Spreckelsen Photographic - fashion and portrait photography by bernhardt von Spreckelsen, London, UK Ally Capallino, Anouska de Georgiou, Bruce Olfield, Bush, Caroline Charles, Camilla Rutherford, Cedric Price, Clements Riberio, Charlton Varney, Cillian Murphy, Heidi Klum, John Rocha, Liz Earle, Marie Helvin, Matthew Williamson, Naimee Coleman, Nell McAndrew, Nicole Farhi, Noelle Campbell-Sharp, Paul Smith, Philippe Charriol, Pierce Fionda, Slim Barrett, Wayne Hemmingway, Wilhenmia Fernandez, Will Mellor, Yuki, and Zandra Rhodes Barclays, BHS, Confetti Magazine, Conde Nast Publications, Country Life Magazine, Die Linie Magazine, Don't Tell It Magazine, Dorothy Draper, D-Side Magazine, Dunnes Stores, EMI, Harmonia Publications, Image Magazine, Irish Tatler Magazine, K-Club Magazine, Loaded Magazine, L'Oreal, Marks and Spencer, Matthew Williamson, Philippe Charriol, Social & Personal Magazine, Splendour, Saturday Times, Sunday Times Magazine, Telegraph Magazine, Total Style Magazine, You (Mail On Sunday) Magazine, Woman & Home Magazine, Yves Saint Laurent. At the age of sixteen, Bernhardt stumbled into photography at an antique collectors fair, where he was captivated by the classic cameras for sale. He took home three cameras for £15, broke them apart to see the mechanics inside and then put them back together again. He began taking pictures immediately of everything that moved him. His father had a black & white enlarger and basic processing equipment from the late 60s stuffed in the attic, that Bernhardt experimented with. From that point he was hooked and knew unquestionably that photography was his vocation. Leaving Salisbury College (Wiltshire, England) with a 1st and a strong portrait portfolio Bernhardt soon met Percy Savage (a fashion guru of the day), who encouraged him to photograph the leading fashion designers in London. With Percy's help, Bernhardt was asked by the British Fashion Council to produce three solo exhibitions over three consecutive seasons in 1996 and 1997. These were sponsored by Kodak and exhibited at London Fashion Week. At his second exhibition, he profiled a young designer called Matthew Williamson, photographing his first collection. Bernhardt's interest in fashion photography was born. His final exhibition featured garments from the unseen collections of a number of designers including the likes of Bruce Oldfield and Michiko Koshino. Having now fashion and portrait portfolios he entered the Irish marketplace to duplicate his initial success in London. His first jobs in Dublin were for L'Oreal and a new Irish rock band called, 'Against The Storm'. As their photographer, he was asked to art direct their first video with film maker Giovanni Savino in the production, 'Home'. Ireland as a market flourished and Bernhardt gained a Dublin agent in the shape of Rebecca Morgan, a partnership that continues to the present day. In May 2001, Bernhardt's career path changed forever with a spectacular fall onto a studio floor while shooting an editorial for Pure Magazine. Bernhardt went through five major operations in half a year in an effort to successfully save his left arm. During a two year recovery period Bernhardt's outlook to the business developed to provide additional services in the shape of 'von Spreckelsen Associates', an exclusive and tailored production service that has produced photographic trips for the likes of Image Magazine and Marks and Spencer. The productions initialised Bernhardt's extensive travel across the globe and developed his fashion work to include spectacular locations.His work has blossomed in recent years to be that of technical excellence. Often his work is never retouched and presents a portfolio that is of raw photography, as seen on this web-site. It has been shot as Bernhardt has seen it on the day, through the lens. He continues to develop his portfolios and also indulge his interest in moving image. Currently Bernhardt is looking for representation in new territories across the world. www.vonspreckelsen.co.uk

von Spreckelsen