Norman Jean Roy
| Norman Jean Roy | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Norman Jean Roy August 19, 1969 Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Photographer |
| Website |
www |
Norman Jean Roy (born 1969) is a Canadian born portrait photographer. Roy is best known for his portraits of celebrities, socialites and personalities. His portraits have appeared on the covers and pages of Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, and Rolling Stone.
Early life and education
Roy was born outside of Montreal, Canada. He started taking an interest in photography at the age of six. After studying architecture and design, Roy worked for the design department at General Motors' Saturn division in Nashville, Tennessee.
Photography career
Two years later, he purchased a 35mm camera and began photographing friends and local models. Finding the industry difficult and competitive, he left photography and pursued a career in golf. In 1994, American Photo magazine published a cover story about Richard Avedon, which Roy credits as his motivation to pursuing portrait photography again. He packed up his life in Nashville and moved to Paris to jump start his career. After six months in France, Roy returned to Nashville to cultivate his portrait work and refine his technical skills.
In 1999, Roy was picked as an emerging new talent in Photo District News, "30 Under 30", for the most promising young photographers,[1] giving him exposure to the US photo industry and landing him his first photo agent.
He has since cultivated a career shooting portraits of high-profile clients including Justin Trudeau, Heidi Klum, Ed Sheeran, to name a few. Roy has also shot advertising campaigns for L’Oreal, Rolex, Neiman Marcus Absolut, Banana Republic, SmartWater, Oscar de la Renta, in addition to many others.
Roy is known for shooting almost exclusively on film with minimal retouching.[2]
In September 2006, an editorial project with Glamour magazine brought Roy to Cambodia and in direct contact with Somaly Mam, known for her work against sex trafficking and child sex slavery.[3] This meeting was the catalyst for Roy’s documentary book project Traffik, Powerhouse Books, 2008.[4] photographed and published in 2008 and showcased with an exhibition at New York’s Milk Gallery that same year.[5]
Roy is now based in New York.[6]
Exhibitions
- Traffik, Milk Studios, New York, NY 2008 [7]
Awards
- 1999: Photo District’s News, "30 under 30" [8]
- 2011: Art Director’s Club, "Advertising: Magazine/Full Page or Spread" [9]
- 2013: Somaly Mam Foundation Gala, "Life is Love" [10]
- 2015: The Lucie Awards, "Fashion Layout of the Year" [11]
- 2016: ASME Best Cover Contest, "Best Cover and Readers' Choice Winner" [12]
- 2016: Min's Magazine Media Awards, "Cover Design" [13]
References
- ↑ "PDN's 30 1999". pdnonline.com. May 13, 1999.
- ↑ Lin, James (January 15, 2013). "Norman Jean Roy Thinks Digital Ruined Fashion Photography". New York Magazine.
- ↑ "Traffik Slideshow". Vanityfair.com.
- ↑ "Traffik". powerHouse books. 2008.
- ↑ "Norman Jean Roy, Traffik". artcat.com. 450 West 15th Street, New York, NY. November 20 – December 3, 2008.
- ↑ "Master's Showcase: Norman Jean Roy". www.photovideoedu.com. September 10, 2014.
- ↑ Boyle, Amy (November 2008). "A Photographer's Call to Stop Sex Trafficking". Vanity Fair.
- ↑ "PDN's 30 1999". pdnonline.com. May 18, 1999.
- ↑ "Unreal Print Campaign". www.oneclub.org.
- ↑ "Somaly Mam Foundation Gala, "Life is Love" Award". October 22, 2013.
- ↑ "The Lucie Awards, Fashion Layout of the Year". October 27, 2015.
- ↑ "ASME, Best Cover Contest 2016 Winners and Finalists".
- ↑ "min's Magazine Media Award, Cover Design of the Year". 2016.