albert watson
Achievement in Advertising

Albert Watson made his mark as one of the world’s most successful fashion and commercial photographers during the last three decades, while creating his own art along the way. Over the years, his striking images have appeared on more than 250 covers of Vogue and have been featured in countless other publications, from Rolling Stone to Time to Vibe – many of the photographs iconic portraits of celebrities. (Albert Watson was the official Royal Photographer for Prince Andrew’s wedding to Sarah Ferguson.)

Born and raised in Scotland, Albert Watson studied graphic design at the Royal College of Art in London. He then moved to New York in 1976 and opened his own studio there.He also has created the photography for hundreds of successful advertising campaigns for major corporations, such as the Gap, Levi’s, Revlon and Chanel, and he has directed some 500 TV commercials.

All the while, Albert Watson has spent much of his time working on his own art, creating stunning images from his travels around the world, from Marrakech to Las Vegas to the Orkneys. Though the wide variety of his images reflects an effortless versatility, they are nevertheless identifiable as Albert Watson photographs by their sheer power and technical virtuosity – whether it’s a portrait of a Las Vegas dominatrix or a close-up of King Tutankhamen’s sock. This single-minded commitment to perfection has made Albert Watson one of the world’s most sought-after photographers.

He has also won various prizes, including a Grammy Award in 1975 for the best design for an LP cover, and an ANDY Award in 1983 as the best advertising photographer of the year. PDN has named him one of photography's living legends.