Photography by Michel Comte

Michel Comte was born in 1954 in Zurich, Switzerland. The professionally trained art restorer approached photography autodidactically. In 1978 Comte receives his first international assignments: advertising photographs for the Paris-based fashion houses of Ungaro and Chloé. 1979 Comte moves to Paris. Work for the American Vogue lead him to New York in 1981; later, he takes up residence in Los Angeles. "I always have to live on the edge", Comte states on his restless persona. "If I no longer have a sense of risk, I immediately move on. I probably inherited that from my grandfather." (Swiss aviator Alfred Comte)

Within a few years, Michel Comte evolves to one of the most sought-after fashion and magazine photographers in the world. For Vanity Fair and Vogue, he portrays numerous celebrities from the world of art, movies and entertainment, ranging from Julian Schnabel, Jeremy Irons and Demi Moore to Mike Tyson. Comte's advertising clients include famous names such as Gianfranco Ferré, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, Nike, Versace, Revlon, Mercedes-Benz, Lancome etc.

In addition to portraits and fashion photography, Comte has also increasingly moved towards photo-reportage. On photo assignments for the International Red Cross, for instance, he has traveled to war zones and unstable areas in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia.


In the pack:Ashley Judd, Carla Bruni, Catherine Deneuve, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Elijah Wood, Eva Herzigova, Gary Oldman, Gisele Bundchen, Helena Christensen, Iman, Jeremy Irons, Laetitia Casta, Lucy Liu, Martina Hingis, Melanie Griffith, Michael Schumacher, Mickey Rourke, Miles Davis, Naomi Campbell, Nicole Kidman, Patricia Arquette, Robert Downey Jr, Rose McGowan, Shannen Doherty, Sharon Stone, Sofia Coppola, Sophia Loren, Sylvester Stallone, Uma Thurman, Whitney Houston& other celebrities.