Artist: Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott

Photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, more commonly known as Mert and Marcus, are the current darlings of the fashion world. Both born in 1971, Alas in Istanbul and Piggot in Wales, they met in England in 1994 after Alas' stint in classical music and Piggot's in graphic design. Piggot was working as a photographer's assistant and Alas had a little design shop. The two decided to do some tests, realized the results were great, showed them to London fashion magazine Dazed and Confused, and ended up getting them published. They now have photographed for many major fashion magazine across the globe and count some of the biggest fashion houses, such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Alberta Feretti, Mui Mui, Armani, just to name a few, as clients. Their style is considered "glossy and airbrushed" and there always seems to be sense of fantasy to their images.

"The difference between us and other photographers, honestly, is that we care a lot about fashion. We are in the makeup room, working with the hair, involved in the look much more than working on the lighting, the cables, the gels. The technical side is only 50% of what makes an image."
- Mert Alas

Time article
List of recent editorial work and ad campaigns

I particularly love this shoot from Parisian Vogue. The wardrobe and set and attitude are reminiscent of the aristocratic glamour that I would like to portray in my own portfolio. I also love the muted color palate and desaturated tones. It truly brings a look to series that sets it apart from other images. I would like my own series to have a particular look and feel to it that would add something to the story of the spread as well as distinguish it as one collective piece.

Spread from Vogue Pairs
September 2009