Los Angeles born Brad (Bradford) Branson, was active as a photographer through the 1980s and 90s. From Los Angeles, to Amsterdam, to London, his work depicts cultural provocateurs, artists, musicians and fashion figures that defined the era, and his graphic, photographic style not only captured the moment but contributed to defining an aesthetic of the times. 

Photographs created at the beating heart of culture include portraits of musicians George Michael and Boy George, artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Leigh Bowery, cultural provocateurs like John Waters, and fashion designers including Stephen Jones, John Galliano, Thierry Mugler and Vivienne Westwood. His photography appeared in the cutting-edge fashion and culture magazines of the day like Blitz, Interview Magazine, The Face, Attitude and Rolling Stone, and on the record sleeves for the likes of Robert Palmer and George Michael.

As an L.A. native, one of Brad’s first ever jobs was as a projectionist to the silent movie actress Gloria Swanson, sparking his love for Hollywood glamour. His early photographic inspirations include George Hurrell, responsible for the likes of Greta Garbo’s glamour shots, and Horst P. Horst, who is widely credited as being one of the pioneers of fashion photography, and also photographed fashion designers of the day like Gabrielle Chanel.

As the assistant to esteemed photographer Paul Jasmin, Branson learned about art, photography technique and history of photography. Under Jasmin’s guidance, he was introduced to great contemporary photographers like Bruce Weber, Herb Ritts, Kurt Markus, and Mary Ellen Mark, and was eventually signed to the Visages agency alongside them.

Press from the mid-eighties identified a trend amongst the rising L.A. photographers of the day for harking back to their forebears’ work in the golden age of Hollywood. An article from this time published in PW Magazine explored Hurrell’s influence on Branson:

“Annie Lennox, singer for the Eurythmics, cheerfully did herself up as the Philip Morris bellhop for photographer Brad Branson, but had to use a paper mike when the then 20-year old Branson couldn’t afford to rent the real thing. The result…is an eerily two-dimensional portrait reminiscent of many photographs of the 1930s.“

In the 80s Branson’s studio also doubled as an exhibition space and the hottest club in Los Angeles, along with DJ Matt Dike. Andy Warhol’s book The Andy Warhol Diaries cites Power Tools as a happening spot where artists, musicians and celebrities mixed, and author Bret Easton Ellis namechecked it in a Vanity Fair feature ‘Looking for Cool in L.A.’

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Branson and Dutch artist and model Fritz Kok began collaborating under the name Indüstria after Branson saw some of Kok’s futuristic paintings. Brad employed Old Hollywood-style retouching and lighting techniques, and collages and backgrounds by Kok were often playful references to Art Deco, Constructivism and Cubism, even communist propaganda posters. Their graphic works merged photography, graphic design and collage to define a new aesthetic. 

Their talent and originality attracted the attention of the highly esteemed photographic art journal The Manipulator and their photo/collage Fashionism was selected for a cover. Following a move to London, Indüstria featured in international magazines including Blitz, Diva, The Face, Harpers & Queen, and European editions of Vogue. 

Their projects included shoots with top fashion designers John Galliano, Thierry Mugler, Jasper Conran, and Stephen Jones, as well as an impressive list of the original supermodels Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington. 

A high point came when Indüstria was included in the groundbreaking 1988 Fashion and Surrealism show at The V&A, which led to a collaboration with The Royal Mail. Post-industria, Branson’s ongoing photographic work included the record cover for George Michael’s Fast Love, Heal the Pain and Older, and Branson was the on-set photographer for the music videos for Freedom 90! and Too Funky. 

Returning to Los Angeles in 1996, Branson changed course, developing film and writing projects and ultimately traveling and photographing the landscapes of the southwest U.S. He died on December 13, 2012 in a hospital in Hays, KS, due to complications of lung cancer.