Star Struck Style

November 1 is Alex Prager’s birthday.

Yesterday, I blogged about Helmut Newton. Today I’m talking about Alex Prager. What really interests me is that Mario Testino’s birthday was October 30, and that Robert Mapplethorpe’s is on November 4.

I always get excited when I find a pocket of people born in close proximity who share something in common; that’s what astrologers are supposed to do. On a blog I used to write, I used to joke around with a friend that we were born during “The Week of Incomprehensible Gorgeousness.” Of course, our gorgeousness isn’t all we have in common. We also share a critical eye, a good sense of timing, a wry sense of humor and a charitable spirit. We bonded over those things.

I imagine that the four photographers I mentioned would have a few reasons to bond with one another if they were actual contemporaries. I don’t know if Newton and Mapplethorpe knew each other, or if Mario Testino and Alex Prager hang out. I do know that they each have a distinct style that makes me want to take a closer look at what they do. Something about the work of Alex Prager speaks to my soul. I’m not surprised that she collaborated with Bottega Veneta because the brand also speaks the language of my soul.

Maybe I’m crazy. Maybe I’m connected. In either case, each time something like this comes to light, I feel as if I understand my own craft more clearly. By the time I’m eighty, I really should be good at this stuff.