Behind The Camera: Mert & Marcus
Mert and Marcus is the working name of two fashion photographers (Mert Alan and Marcus Piggott) who work together. Their work and style is influnced by the photgrapher Guy Bourdin. They were both born in 1971. Mert Alas, born in Turkey and Marcus Piggott born in Wales, met in England in 1994 after having worked for a brief period in different areas, Alas in classical music and Piggott in graphic design. Piggott was an assistant photographer and Alas was a fashion photo modeler. After working together in the photography business, they decoded to create a team. When they showed their first photos to Dazed and Confused, the London fashion magazine, they immediately made the cover. They are known for their portraits of sophisticated, powerful women. "The difference between us and other photographers is that we care a lot about appearance, "says Alas. "We spend most of the time in the make-up and hairstyling rooms". The team now works for magazines such as Interview Magazine, The Love Magazine, Vogue USA, Vogue Italia, W Magazine, Numero and Arena Homme Plus. They created the images for perfume houses such as Gucci, Yves St Laurent, Givenchy And Lancome. Alas and Piggott have also worked with celebrities including Madonna, Lady Gaga, Julia Roberts, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Linda Evangelista, Gisele Bundchen, Bjork, Lindsay Lohan, Scarlett Johansson, Charlotte Rampling, Kylie Minogue, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and most recently Victoria Beckham for a Giorgio Armani shoot. They have also worked for Rob Dougan's for the cover art of Furious Angels CD .