Clifford Coffin revolutionized the art of fashion photography by straightforwardly emphasizing the beauty of his models and the clothing they wore. His photos have become some of the most elegant and well known images ever to be published in Vogue magazine.
Though Coffin never received any type of formal training, he decided at a young age that he wanted to work in photography. He even had the confidence to send in some of his first snapshots to an art director at Vogue, who offered him advice and encouraged his efforts. At the time, many men were being sent off to war, but Coffin got his big break in 1942 when he was hired by Vogue on a trial basis, initially with no pay.
In 1944, Coffin's small, black-and-white pictures started appearing in print and by 1945, he was doing colorful fashion editorials. Inspired by the dentist’s lamp, Coffin developed the “ring-light” lighting technique, which prohibited shadows from forming and hid any sort of flaw. As a photographer, Coffin was extremely hands on, often applying makeup and styling the clothing himself. He is also known for launching the careers of models such as Barbara Goalen and Suzy Parker as well as discovering a young Audrey Hepburn, who modeled for him before becoming an actress.
After many years of success, for reasons unknown, Clifford Coffin decided to give up on fashion photography altogether. In 1965 he was working part-time as a librarian at New York University when his Manhattan apartment was broken in to and much of his work was completely destroyed. Heartbroken, Coffin left New York City behind forever, relocationg to California. He passed away from complications due to drug addiction in 1972.