Jean-Paul Goude's legendary photographs inject a bit of humour into fashion

In an industry like fashion photography which is practically bursting at the seams with creativity, how do you possibly begin to stand out? French photographer Jean-Paul Goude seems to have perfected it down to a tee and if his latest editorial photographs are anything to go by, he is showing no signs of slowing down.

With his theatrical back-drops and inventive use of props, ranging from small broods of dogs to swords and running tracks, he proves wonderfully that fashion photography really should know no bounds. And what’s that, a model smiling? Injecting humour, fun and just the right amount of silliness into his photographs, his work offers a welcome change from the pouting models otherwise dominating the fashion world. Hurrah!

Jean-Paul is best know for his work with Grace Jones practically redesigning her into the iconic image we know today (they also have a son together) but the rest of his work is exceptional too, transforming all your perceptions of what fashion photography should be and can be. And in an industry so notoriously serious (you just have to take a look at models’ faces as they walk down the catwalk) what can be wrong with a little bit of humour?