If you’ve glanced at a fashion magazine in the past 30 years, you’ve likely seen a cover photograph by Steven Meisel. Known for his evocative concepts, impeccable taste, and exacting standards, Meisel has arguably shaped fashion imagery more than any other contemporary visual storyteller. 

Meisel’s creativity extends across a range of platforms, from advertising campaigns for celebrated fashion brands to magazines including Vogue and Vogue Italia (for which he shot every cover during editor Franca Sozzani’s tenure) to Madonna’s 1992 book, Sex. Peers and cultural arbiters including Harold Koda of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute have described him as one of the most influential, prolific, and provocative photographers in the industry.

Meisel came to Parsons in the 1970s to study fashion illustration. After graduation, he drew for Halston and Women’s Wear Daily while teaching at Parsons. Meisel’s career as a photographer took off when he started shooting model friends for their portfolios, which led to a gig with Elite Management. Impressed by the quality of his work, magazine editors signed up the young photographer, and he hasn’t put down a camera since.

Meisel strikes a difficult-to-achieve balance between client needs and the desire to weave messages and even wit into his editorials. “My favorite editorials are the ones that allow me to say something,” Meisel told fashion magazine 032c. “It’s not because they are controversial that I like them, but because they say a little more than just a beautiful woman in a beautiful dress. I love that too, but to try to say something is also my goal.”