Since featuring in 2016’s Dazed 100, photographer Tyler Mitchell has gone on to work with the likes of Marc Jacobs and Givenchy, and shot Ashton Sanders and gun control activist Emma González. Michell’s work often explores what it means to be a black man today, seen via an editorial he shot for Dazed Digital in 2016, imagining a utopia where black men could experience the same freedom as white men.
It’s now rumoured that Mitchell has been enlisted to shoot Beyoncé for the September issue of Vogue US. Already an achievement in itself shooting for such an established title, the September issue is notoriously the biggest and most revered of the year. In addition, Mitchell will be the first black photographer ever to shoot a cover for the publication.
In its 126-year history, the covers of Vogue have only ever been shot by a select group of photographers – including the likes of Annie Leibovitz, Mario Testino and Bruce Weber, the latter of whom were both accused of sexual assault earlier this year and have since been dropped from all Condé Nast publications.
According to the Huffington Post, the singer has been given unprecedented creative control over the cover and inside shoot – even going as far as writing her own captions to accompany the images. The news of what will likely be a monumental issue is fuelling rumours that this will be the last issue for editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who has been at the title since 1988. The issue is set to drop on August 14, so keep an eye out for whether the rumours are true.
Congratulations Tyler! For more of his work, follow him on Instagram here.
