Elaine Constantine

Elaine Constantine (born 1965 in Manchester), is a photographer and filmmaker based in London.

Elaine Constantine is known for her colourful, upbeat and gritty imagery that celebrates British youth culture.

According to Constantine, her work

"came at a point when people had seen grunge fashion for a few years and needed something else to look at."^[1]

Professional Work

Photography

Constantine came to prominence due to work published in The Face, where newly installed art director, Lee Swillingham commissioned her first fashion editorial. Constantine's youthful and energetic style suited his vision to introduce a new generation of younger photographers to readers.

Constantine has also contributed to Vanity Fair and American, French and Italian Vogue.

Her commercial clients have included; Adidas, American Eagle, Burberry, Clarins, Diesel, Evian, Gap, H&M, Lacoste, Levi's, Nike, Shiseido, Sportmax, and Vivienne Westwood.

Feature Film

In Summer 2010 Elaine will be returning to the North to direct ‘Northern Soul’, the project she has always dreamt about. Born in Bury, Lancashire, the youngest of a large Catholic family, Elaine grew up listening and dancing to Northern Soul. From hearing her elder siblings’ record collections to her first youth club experience, Northern Soul was the soundtrack to her adolescence. It is her obsession with youth culture and a life-long passion for 60’s American, independent soul music that inspired Elaine to work towards making her first full length feature film. Some ten years in the making, it aims to be an authentic portrayal of a quintessential northern soul experience.

Pop Promos

Elaine has made promos for Richard Hawley's Baby You're My Light and Moloko's Familiar Feelings (featuring Paddy Considine).

Exhibitions

Elaine's first solo show was at Marion de Beaupre's Gallerie 213, Paris in 1998. In 2002 Constantine exhibited ‘Tea Dance’, a show that documented the tea dance culture of Northern England.

Her work has been exhibited at London's Photographers Gallery, Tate Britain's 'Look At Me' Exhibition, curated by Val Williams, The V&A's 'Imperfect Beauty' Exhibition, curated by Charlotte Cotton. A series of Constantine's prints are held in the photography collection at the National Portrait Gallery.

Most recent solo exhibition, 'Tea Dance', has toured Paris, London, Rome, Amsterdam and Moscow.

Awards

In 1998 Constantine was awarded the John Kobal Foundation's Award. In 2002 Constantine was awarded the Creative Review's Award for Best Up and Coming Promo Director. In 2005 Constantine was awarded the Royal Photographic Society's Terence Donovan Achievement Award.

External links

References

^ "Elaine Constantine's best shot". The Guardian. 24 May, 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

[1] "Elaine Constantine's best shot". The Guardian. 24 May, 2007. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

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