Tony Duran is an American photographer, known for his photographs of celebrities and his work with male models. Duran is one of the most widely published photographers of celebrities. He has photographed a "virtual who's of the Hollywood and fashion set." Widely revered in the fashion industry, Duran has been called both "genius" and "brilliant," and his work has been said to express "unrivaled artistic vision."

Early life

Tony Duran was born and raised in

Winona, Minnesota Winona ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, United States. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf (Winona, Minnesota), Sugar Loaf. The population was 2 ...

. He attended the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

Career

While at university Duran got his start in professional photography with a project called "All Women at tee U of M Are Not Fat and Ugly". His shots of one student won her the "Look of the Year" contest, which had previously been won by professional supermodels including

Cindy Crawford Cynthia Ann Crawford (born February 20, 1966) is an American model. During the 1980s and 1990s, she was among the most popular supermodels and a ubiquitous presence on magazine covers and runways, as well as fashion campaigns. She subsequently ...

. This launched his career as what ''

Los Angeles Magazine ''Los Angeles,'' formerly known as ''Southern California Prompter'', is a monthly magazine based in Los Angeles, California. It focuses on telling regional news, culture, lifestyle, entertainment, and fashion stories from Los Angeles and the br ...

'' called "a talented though technically untrained photographer." One of his notable shoots was of

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

for the cover of '' Glamour''. Duran is known for photographing nude and semi-nude models. This has led to lists such as Trend Hunter's "12 most scandalous Tony Duran photos." He also uses strange imagery and props in his work. This has led to some mocking reviews. His work with

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

was reviewed by ''

The Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead ...

'' as looking like something out of ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

''. Additionally, Duran is known for using his history as a student of art in his photography. His lack of formal training as a photographer – and his formal training as an artist – allow him to "capture a sensual side not often revealed in his subjects."

References

External links

UWEC article''Vibe'' articleDuran's Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duran, Tony Living people American photographers University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire alumni Artists from Minnesota People from Winona, Minnesota Year of birth missing (living people)