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After learning about the passing of Patrick Demarchelier, Mexican actress Salma Hayek took to social media to share one of the black and white portraits the French fashion photographer took of her decades ago.
“Saddened by the news that photographer @patrickdemarchelier has left us, leaving behind a legacy of images that capture an era,” she wrote.
The Eternals actress tribute comes after Patrick Demarchelier died Thursday, March 31, 2022, at 78. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Patrick Demarchelier on March 31st 2022, at the age of 78. He is survived by his wife Mia, his three sons Gustaf, Arthur, Victor and three grandchildren,” his verified Instagram account informed alongside throwback images.
Demarchelier’s work gave another perspective to the world of fashion and the celebrities that had the opportunity to witness his creativity. The photographer took memorable and iconic portraits of Diana, Princess of Wales, and was most famous for his work with Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. His name was even mentioned several times in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada.
“Patrick takes simple photographs perfectly, which is, of course, immensely difficult,” Anna Wintour wrote in an essay for a Christie’s auction of his work, as reported by The New York Times. “He makes attractive women look beautiful and beautiful women seem real.”
“I like to do the pictures before people get too self-conscious,” Mr. Demarchelier told Keira Knightley for Interview magazine. “I like to be spontaneous and get a shot before the subject thinks too much about it.”
Patrick Demarchelier grew up in Le Havre, France, and had no formal training in photography. As a self-taught, he started taking pictures of his friends and then became an assistant to Hans Feurer, a Swiss photographer who worked with Vogue and helped him create a relationship with the magazine.
Demarchelier became popular and grew up in the industry alongside today’s iconic supermodels and celebrities. His lens is behind the most famous covers, including Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, and Christy Turlington.
“No one understands anything he says,” Coddington told The New York Times in 2016. “But he calls the models ‘bebe’ and says ‘fabulous’ and ‘diveeeeene,’ and he makes them feel beautiful.”