SPECIAL EDITION: MIAMI PHOTOGRAPHERS Feb 2010

Brian Smith is a Miami Beach celebrity portrait photographer known for his bold eye-catching portraits of celebrities, athletes and artists for advertising and editorial clients including Sony, Condé Nast, Time Warner, NBC, Hachette and ESPN the Magazine.

Brian's latest project was photographing portraits of celebrities for The Creative Coalition's 'Art & Soul' project featuring his portraits of celebrities Adrian Grenier, Adrien Brody, Alfre Woodard, Alyssa Milano, Amanda Peet, Anne Hathaway, Dana Delany, Ellen Burstyn, Harry Belafonte, James Denton, Jamie Kennedy, Jimmy Smits, John Turturro, Kerry Washington, Matthew Modine, Paula Abdul, Peter Gallagher, Samuel L. Jackson, Taye Diggs, Tim Daly and Tony Bennett. The project has successfully been used to lobby the White House and Congress for increased funding for the arts and arts education.

Brian is a Pulitzer Prize winner and has received top awards from World Press Photo, Communication Arts and Pictures of the Year.

Beth Studenberg's photography captures moments of pure spontaneity, life and emotion. A Florida native, Beth calls Miami home, although she commutes regularly to New York, California, Europe and Canada.

Beginning her career in the fashion industry as a model, working and travelling internationally for 10 years, she absorbed many cultures from around the world that have helped develop her unique range and style of photography. Having been on both sides of the camera gives Beth a comprehensive knowledge of the industry, making sure all her clients' needs are met. Photography is her passion and this exudes from her work.

Clients include Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Glamour, Kohl's, Ardene, Garage, Sunglass Hut, Target, JC Penney and Aldo. Beth was also included in PDN's 'Top 50 US Photographers'.

Dirk Franke stylishly blends beauty, fashion and glamour into a modern exploration of sensuality and classic sex appeal. Attached since his teenage
years to the female form as subject, Dirk Franke's body of work showcases a stylish eroticism, an extended collection of beautiful, sensual photography comprised of gorgeous women, lush skies, steamy cityscapes and pristine beaches. Though a world traveller, Franke has been based in sun-drenched Miami since 1991, and how much he enjoys his life shows in his work.

Apart from studying cinematography in Europe, Dirk has otherwise dedicated himself to shooting fashion and advertising photography. His wife Lene has worked as a producer and model booker in international model agencies, and together they form a reliable, efficient and budget conscious team that has conducted photo shoots of all shapes and sizes in studios and on location all around the world.

Redinger-Libolt is the combined talents of Scott Libolt and Cristina Redinger. The Miami-based duo specialises in combining commercial and editorial styles, creating their own brand of fashionable lifestyle photography for the hotel, entertainment and fashion industries.

Clients include: Hilton Hotels, Pacific Palms Resort, Wholefoods, Epson, Midas, CNBC, MCA/Universal, Forbes Traveler, Conde Nast, Marie Claire, Brigitte, About Twenty.

Scott and Cristina, fluent in Spanish, German and English, offer a wide range of production support with over 10 years of shooting and producing experience. Visit the website for more information.

An extreme attention to detail, the ability to orchestrate large sets, the technical savvy to produce the most exquisite lighting schemes and a contagious sense of humour are just some of the assets Claudio Beier uses to consistently go above and beyond his clients' expectations.

After receiving a business degree in Brazil, where he worked in marketing and advertising, he decided to pursue a more creative career in the US. With the conclusion of Hallmark Institute of Photography's intense programme, where he graduated with the highest accolades, Claudio moved to Miami where he now shoots advertising, fashion, beauty and portrait photography.

Advertising and fine art photographer Jorge Parra has put together a fusion of fashion and fine art images using a collection of couture dresses made by artist Luis Valenzuela from recycled materials.

The dresses were exhibited at the Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, Miami, in January in homage of artists Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keeffe, Frank Gehry, Amsel Kiefer, Herzog and DeMeuron, and Kara Walker.

In tandem with model Valerie Carpender from Wilhenmina Models and several mannequins, and with styling by Gabriel Noda and Daniel Avalos, this unusual portfolio was produced by Jorge Parra and shot on the gallery premises.

"Andrew Kaufman doesn't fit the mould of many of his contemporaries. He produces a tremendous amount of personal work, in every format imaginable, and is really someone impossible to categorise. One day he might be shooting 6x7 for an ad client and the next 4x5 for a personal project. He has worked for magazines, agencies, art directors, ad clients and collectors and has somehow managed to avoid the mass homogenisation of imagery that now seems to be prevalent in those fields." Daniel Milnor from the Smogranch.

Andrew's current clients include State Farm, The Home Depot, Rolling Stone, Leo Burnett, DBB, Marlboro, NFL, TIME, OUTSIDE, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Arthur Frommer's, Worth, Smithsonian, Audubon, Popular Mechanics, Golf Digest, and many others.

Pete Barrett has more than 15 years experience as a commercial advertising photographer. Based in Miami, he is primarily a location shooter and travels extensively shooting people, lifestyles and destinations for a variety of national advertising and tourism clients as well as stock footage.

Clients include: Ford Motor Company, United Airlines, Kodak, Heineken, Miller, Corona, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Pfizer, Shimano, Westin Hotels, Hilton Resorts, and many more.

Pete's work has won many awards, including the prestigious 'Award of Excellence' in the Communication Arts Photography Annual. His work has been featured in national and international campaigns and has appeared in many publications, including Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Communication Arts, Archive Magazine and PDN.

Known for his ability to work with people, Pete portrays both a sense of reality and captures the energy of the moment in a way that is very real and believable. His company, Barrett Advertising Photography Inc., is a full service operation, and his experienced team of professionals have the ability and expertise to handle production from start to finish on any type of project.

Mauricio Candela started his career in advertising in the 1990s.

He has worked as an art director for some of the most important agencies in Colombia, his country of origin. In 1999 he moved to the USA where he became a creative director.

At the same time he developed his passion for photography, honing his skills and applying his creative knowledge to a new discipline. As an advertising creative, he learned to live off of his ideas. Today, his idea is to live off his photography.

After working as a music teacher and composer, Oliver Reguerio found commercial photography and has never looked back.

With only five years of professional photography work under his belt, Oliver's client list already includes McDonald's, FedEx, Amtrak, Ford and Volkswagen, among others. His portrait work has been published in magazines across the country.

Being involved in every aspect of a production, Oliver makes each photograph a personal piece by working on it from pre-production all the way through to creative retouching.

He is now based in Miami and shoots advertising as well as fashion and beauty photography and is renowned for the delicate way in which he portrays women.

"I am a right brained conceptual guy. Even without a camera, I'd be a visual artist. I see light as the major conundrum and tiny nuance of a happy universe, designed for a photographer's purpose to bring us all introspection, comfort, knowledge... Home. I seek the moment when the universe aligns and the light is just so, the planes line up, the subject is apparent and I snap the picture. Ahhh! there is nothing better. Hardly..."

Being raised in the Detroit area of Michigan and picking up a camera at an early age naturally led Mark Mason to become a specialist in automotive photography. After completing his photographic training he went on to work for the top car studios and learned from some of the industry's pioneers.

Mark moved to Milan in 1994 and later to London, experiences that have given him a great awareness for design. It is this background and experience that he brings to all of his projects.

His creativity has recently branched out into book and magazine design. Visit his website for more information.

Jose Manuel Vidaurre was recently selected by Luerzer's Archive for the book '200 Best Advertising Photographers Worldwide'. He has won simultaneously Platinum, Gold and Silver in the Photography/Commercial category at the Creativity 37 Awards, and has garnered a total of 56 awards throughout his career.

Jose Manuel has also been selected by Kingston Technologies for the programme 'Icons of Photography'. Recent magazine interviews include Digital Photo Pro November 2009 (USA), AfterCapture January 2009 (USA), A!Diseno December 2008 (Mexico), and Signcafe 2008 (Bulgaria).

In 1990, Sid Hoeltzell relocated his studio from New York's Photo District to the Miami Design District. He graduated Magna Cum Laude at the Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC, where he later became Adjunct Professor in Photography. He also held seminars at the NYC Photo-Expos in hand-colouring techniques. Sid will feature as an artist in residence on 'The Oasis of the Seas' and 'Allure of the Seas' for RCCL (Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines) between 2009 and 2014.

Sid has received numerous Addy awards for work with RCCL, Martini and Ryder Trucks, as well as an International Silver Clio for Johnnie Walker Black. Sid worked with Sydney Pollack and Harrison Ford as consultant for a photography studio scene in 'Random Hearts' that was filmed in Miami. He also spent six weeks documenting art for the Vatican Museum.

He is currently pursuing an ongoing book project on the Florida Everglades. Added to his iconic underwater images and occasional editorial work, Sid is virtually unclassifiable as a photographer and brings creative expertise to every project.

Bridges Aderhold is a product photographer who provides his clients with images of the highest quality. His unique lighting and composition styles create a look that is fresh and appealing.

Using only the latest equipment, Bridges collaborates with the best in the business. He works closely with his clients and incorporates their ideas into his work to ensure that their goals are met at the completion of every job.

Bridges is a native of Miami. He has a large studio and art gallery in Wynwood.

Matthew Pace captures the place, taste and face of food. Comfortable on location as well as in the studio, he works with stylists to give food a visual flavour. Working individually, his experience and art sense help to create what is needed for a successful shoot.

A portrait, still life and journalistic background allows Matthew to adapt to any type of situation that requires the "complete picture", from the farm to the chef to the plate. Twenty years in the editorial and commercial market has helped him to produce under all kinds of pressure. He loves developing projects and his input has been invaluable to many of his clients.