Rankin (photographer)


John Rankin Waddell, also known under his working name Rankin, is a British portrait and fashion photographer and director.
Best known as the founder of Dazed and Confused magazine, and for his photography of models including Kate Moss and Heidi Klum, celebrities such as Madonna and David Bowie and his portrait of Elizabeth II. His work has appeared in magazines such as GQ, Vogue and Marie Claire. In 2011 Rankin started the biannual fashion, culture and lifestyle magazine, Hunger and launched Rankin Film to produce and direct his own commercial and editorial film work.

Early life

Brought up in Scotland and Yorkshire, Waddell attended Thirsk School and Sixth Form College.

Career

Whilst studying accounting at Brighton Polytechnic, he realised that his interests lay elsewhere and dropped out, taking up the study of photography at Barnfield College Luton and then London College of Printing. During this time, Rankin met Jefferson Hack, with whom he formed a working relationship. In 1992 the two decided to start a magazine together called Dazed & Confused.
In December 2000 Rankin launched his own quarterly fashion magazine, Rank. He also publishes Another Magazine, Another Man and more recently Hunger, a website and biannual fashion and lifestyle magazine.
In 2002, Rankin was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by The Royal Photographic Society.
In April 2009 Rankin created Annroy, a contemporary structure designed by Trevor Horne Architects that is home to Rankin’s own photographic studio, gallery and living space, where he lives with his wife and model Tuuli Shipster. Each month Annroy holds a different exhibition, which features some of Rankin’s current work.
In 2010, Rankin travelled to South Africa with the BBC to shoot the documentary, South Africa in Pictures The same year, Rankin was commissioned by Nike and Bono’s Product Red in the fight against HIV/AIDS, to shoot a global Nike campaign, Lace Up Save Lives, to raise awareness about the disease.
In 2011 Rankin served as the photography teacher in the Channel 4 series Jamie's Dream School featuring Jamie Oliver. He also presented the BBC Four documentary America in Pictures - The Story of Life Magazine. In May 2012 it was confirmed that Rankin would be re-shooting Azealia Banks's music video for her single "Liquorice".
In January 2014, BBC 4 broadcast his 1 hour documentary Seven Photographs that Changed Fashion, in which he created his own tributes to images by Cecil Beaton, Erwin Blumenfeld, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, David Bailey and Guy Bourdin. He interviewed an array of original photographers, models and assistants, and used contemporary models including Heidi Klum, Erin O'Connor, Jade Parfitt, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Tuuli Shipster, Mollie Gondi, Daphne Guinness and David Gandy.
Rankin was involved with television reality show Britain's Missing Top Model. The show followed eight young women with disabilities who competed for a modeling contract, which includes a photo shoot with Rankin and a cover photo in Marie Claire. Rankin has shot for Germany's Next Topmodel, where he was a guest judge, and regularly works with the winner of Cycle 2 of Britains Next Top Model Lianna Fowler.
Rankin has donated his services to publicity campaigns for the charitable organisation Women's Aid, providing photographs for use in the What's it going to take? and Valentine's Day campaigns.
In 2019, Rankin designed a digital philanthropy card in collaboration with Phil Ropy for Surfrider Foundation Europe. The card features the environmental non-profit organisation which has been fighting to protect and preserve the ocean since 1990. Rankin created a Plastic Monster made of plastic waste for the card, as a metaphor for plastic pollution. It was released on 7 August 2019. The cards' proceeds are redistributed to the organization.

Controversy

In February 2011, Rankin expressed the opinion that "in America the Jewish zealots are so powerful. Especially in the entertainment industry." After this was reported, Rankin said "of course this is not my official position and I apologise wholeheartedly for my use of language and any offence this may have caused."

Music videos