 |
Ralph John Perou (born May 1970), [1] [2] known professionally as Perou and @mrperou on social media, is a British fashion, portrait and music photographer who has also appeared as a judge on Make Me a Supermodel UK and on season 2 of Bravo TV's American Make Me a Supermodel . He was part of the T.V series called "Dirty Sexy Things" on the British network E4 which aired in 2011. Perou photographed models to be put in his exhibition at the end of the series.
Perou was born in Newick, a small village in East Sussex, England. Perou has stated that he, ‘had a very happy, carefree childhood growing up in the countryside. It's where I discovered my love of English cider’ [3] He went to primary school at Newick Church of England school and completed secondary school at Chailey and Haywards Heath Sixth form. When Perou finished his Religious Studies and Design A levels he considered a career as a long-distance lorry driver or as a missionary. But Perou states that he ‘saw the dark’ [4] and after a short stint as a butler he completed a BTEC OND in Design Photography at North East Surrey College of Technology.
Between 1991-1994 Perou studied for a BA Hons degree in Photography, Film and Video Arts at the University of Westminster. [5]
In 1998 Perou met his wife, Lucy on Burgh Island in Devon. Perou has two sons with Lucy: Maximum Perou (born 2002) and Z Perou (born 2005) They were married in St.Nicholas at Wade church in Kent in 2007.[ citation needed ]
 | This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification .(February 2009) |
After graduating in 1994 Perou worked at Click Studios in London as a studio manager.
It was during his time at Click Studios that Perou learned photography professionally. He started shooting for editorial clients like Time Out , Skin Two and Dazed & Confused magazines. He also started shooting bands, following work that he did with his friends who were in the band Elcka.
In 1995, Perou moved to the first floor of a converted fire station in Old Street, London. Shortly after, Dazed & Confused relocated to the ground floor of the same building and Perou started working on the picture desk with the photographic director, Phil Poynter. Perou continued to shoot for magazines and record companies and left Dazed & Confused around 1997. One of his musician shoots was with British singer/songwriter Gary Numan for his 1997 album Exile alongside Joseph Cultice.
Perou was initially known as a ‘fetish photographer’ through his early work for Skin Two magazine and after being featured in the book Fetish: Masters of Erotic Fantasy Photography.
In 2000, Perou opened the photographic studio, the ‘Perou Factory’ in Hackney Wick (an industrial estate in the east of London). In 2006 the London Development Agency ‘compulsory purchased’ the Perou Factory as part of redevelopments for the 2012 Olympics. Perou and his family relocated to the East Kent coast.
In 2012, Perou with a team of supportive volunteers, started renovating a dilapidated warehouse in Bow, East London. In 2013 it was launched as 'The Bow Bunker', which is a flexible place for photography, film and very special events.
In May 2014 issue one of EDICT magazine was released. Perou is the Editor in Chief of EDICT. EDICT magazine is art directed and designed by Peter & Paul. The premise of the magazine is 'There's too much of everything. Here's some more'. Each issue features one artist recommending one piece of art or other artist; one musician recommending one other band or piece of music etc.. Edict is a free that is distributed mainly in the UK and Tokyo, Japan.
Issue 2 of EDICT magazine was released in January 2015. issue 3 of EDICT magazine was released in September 2016
On Friday 13th Nov 2015, Perou's first book 'Coulrophobia' was released, which features self portraits of him made up like a clown. It was made in collaboration with 19 of the world's best makeup artists and Marilyn Manson. 'Coulrophobia' (which means the fear of clowns) was designed by Peter & Paul and supported by MAC Cosmetics.
Perou's book 'Marilyn Manson by Perou: 21 years in Hell' is published by 'Reel Art Press' [6]
Marilyn Manson speaking of the book and Perou says, “Just because you have a f**king Instagram page does not make you Perou. That’s your quote.” [7]
Speaking of Marilyn Manson and the book, Perou has said, “I often get asked, ‘Who was your favourite person to photograph?’ or ‘Who is the best person you’ve photographed?’. It’s always ‘Marilyn Manson.’ Which is just as well, considering how many times I’ve photographed him.” [8]
David Royston Bailey is an English photographer and director, most widely known for his fashion photography and portraiture, and role in shaping the image of the Swinging Sixties.
André Kertész, born Andor Kertész, was a Hungarian-born photographer known for his groundbreaking contributions to photographic composition and the photo essay. In the early years of his career, his then-unorthodox camera angles and style prevented his work from gaining wider recognition. Kertész never felt that he had gained the worldwide recognition he deserved. Today he is considered one of the seminal figures of 20th century photography.
Brian Hugh Warner, known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band that shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since its formation in 1989. Known for his controversial stage personality, his stage name was formed by combining the names of two opposing American cultural icons: actress Marilyn Monroe and cult leader Charles Manson.
Richard Avedon was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for Harper's Bazaar, Vogue and Elle specializing in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theater and dance. An obituary published in The New York Times said that "his fashion and portrait photographs helped define America's image of style, beauty and culture for the last half-century".
Ryan McGinley is an American photographer living in New York City. McGinley began making photographs in 1998. In 2003, at the age of 25, he was one of the youngest artists to have a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art. He was named Photographer of the Year in 2003 by American Photo Magazine. In 2007, McGinley was awarded the Young Photographer Infinity Award by the International Center of Photography. In 2009, he was honored at The Young Collectors Council's Artists Ball at the Guggenheim Museum. A 2014 GQ article declared McGinley, "the most important photographer in America."
Eve Arnold, OBE (honorary), FRPS (honorary) was an American photojournalist, long-resident in the UK. She joined Magnum Photos agency in 1951, and became a full member in 1957. She was the first woman to join the agency.
Juergen Teller is a German fine-art and fashion photographer. He was awarded the Citibank Prize for Photography in 2003 and received the Special Presentation International Center of Photography Infinity Award in 2018.
Irving Penn was an American photographer known for his fashion photography, portraits, and still lifes. Penn's career included work at Vogue magazine, and independent advertising work for clients including Issey Miyake and Clinique. His work has been exhibited internationally and continues to inform the art of photography.
Nicholas David Gordon Knight is a British fashion photographer and founder and director of SHOWstudio.com. He is an honorary professor at University of the Arts London and was awarded an honorary Ph.D. by the same university. He has produced books of his work including retrospectives Nicknight (1994) and Nick Knight (2009). In 2016, Knight's 1992 campaign photograph for fashion brand Jil Sander was sold by Phillips auction house at the record-breaking price of HKD 2,360,000.
John Rankin Waddell, known as Rankin, is a British photographer and director who has photographed, amongst other subjects, Björk, Kate Moss, Madonna, David Bowie and Queen Elizabeth II.
Steven Cook is a British artist, photographer, and graphic designer.
Dean Chalkley is a British photographer from Southend-on-Sea.
Derek Ridgers is a British photographer known for his photography of music, film and club/street culture. He has photographed people including James Brown, the Spice Girls, Clint Eastwood and Johnny Depp, as well as politicians, gangsters, artists, writers, fashion designers and sports people. Ridgers has also photographed British social scenes such as skinhead, fetish, club, punk and New Romantic.
Ewen Spencer is a British photographer and filmmaker based in Brighton, England. His photography is primarily of youth and subcultures.
Mariano Vivanco is a Peruvian fashion and portrait photographer. He traveled the world with his family, who eventually settled down in New Zealand. Mariano moved to London in the year 2000 to pursue his career as a fashion photographer.
Anthony Barboza is a photographer, historian, artist and writer. With roots originating from Cape Verde, and work that began in commercial art more than forty years ago, Barboza's artistic talents and successful career helped him to cross over and pursue his passions in the fine arts where he continues to contribute to the American art scene.
David M Partner is a British portrait photographer. Born 1956 in Winchester, where he grew up; his parents were academics with a lifelong attachment to Italy, where he first encountered classicism and renaissance art.
Miles Aldridge is a British fashion photographer and artist.
Gordon MacDonald works with photography as an artist, writer, curator, press photographer and educator.
Juno Calypso is a British photographer. Her self-portraits are personal works about feminism, isolation, loneliness and being self-sufficient. Working alone, Calypso has made highly stylised photographs of herself whilst dressed as a fictional alter-ego, "Joyce", in unusual surroundings. She also works as a commercial photographer.
