Miles Aldridge

Ashing a lipstick-smeared cigarette into an egg yolk is just the level of discomfort and sex appeal that photographer Miles Aldridge has mastered over his 30 years in the business. As one of the few contemporary photographers to shoot nearly exclusively on film, Aldridge arranges and captures models in colorful, exaggerated scenes with thoughtful, slightly disquieting perspective. The subtleties are quintessentially film noir — with an air of pop culture — and create a wonderful tension surrounding the context behind the femme fatale.

Aldridge was born in London in 1964. He received his first camera as a gift from his father, the illustrator and art director Alan Aldridge. He later studied graphic design at Central Saint Martins, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1987. He directed music videos for several years before committing to photography full-time in the 1990s.

Aldridge’s photos have a distinctly cinematic quality achieved through a process similar to arranging a shot for a film. Beginning with a sketch, Aldridge envisions a scene while planning the lighting and color choices that will go into it. His style is influenced by the works of American portrait photographer Richard Avedon, British film director Derek Jarman and American film director David Lynch.

His fashion photography has been published in many magazines and news outlets, ranging from Vogue and Vogue Italia to the New Yorker and the New York Times. Aldridge has been featured in numerous exhibitions since his first solo show in 2009 at Hamiltons Gallery in London, including solo shows at Steven Kasher Gallery in New York and Reflex Amsterdam. He has also participated in group shows at Frank Fluegel Gallery in Nuremberg, Huxley-Parlour Gallery in London and Rukaj Gallery in Toronto. 

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Miles Aldridge’s photography and prints and multiples.