The German-born Ellen von Unwerth became a professional model at the age of 20. It took over a decade for her to realize that her true passion was photography and her true place was behind the camera. Von Unwerth broke through with her photographs of the German supermodel Claudia Schiffer. Soon she was in demand at Vogue and Vanity Fair. She also made a name for herself shooting album covers for some of the biggest names in music, from Duran Duran’s Liberty (1990) to Rihanna’s Rated R (2009). Von Unwerth primarily shoots women, often provocatively posed, catching them in moments that explode with movement, color, and glamour. “You see so many images that are dark and depressing at the moment. All these sad women being sad!” said the artist in 2017. “So I figured, let’s show girls having fun and enjoying life.” —Paulina Prosnitz