One of the most talented photographers of our time has to be British photographer David Bailey. He rose to fame taking photographs for British Vogue magazine in the 1960s and has taken some of the most iconic photographs in fashion, music, literature and beyond over the last fifty years, including photos of The Rolling Stones for their album covers, Kate Moss, The Beatles and Damian Hirst.

His style is simple yet dramatic and he claims to be inspired by the style and free expression of working girls in dance halls. He's also famous for his portrait photography in which he perfectly captures each individual in an intimate, friendly fashion. One of Bailey's most famous subjects was cover girl Jean Shrimpton from the 60s. He once famously said, "She was magic. In a way she was the cheapest model in the world - you only needed to shoot half a roll of film and then you had it." Funnily enough, Jean Shrimpton has recently claimed that Bailey never paid her any money for her work, despite making big bucks out of her. The two met at a photoshoot for a cornflakes advert and although he is often said to be responsible for much of her success, she in turn helped his career to blossom. (They also had a passionate love affair which may have left a bitter taste in her mouth).

Jean Shrimpton:



And for all your budding photographers out there, one of the secrets to his trade is Kodak. He was once quoted as saying, "I've tried other films but I always go back to Kodak."

In other random trivia (courtesy of Wikipedia) Bailey loves Picasso, doesn't drink alcohol or exercise and contracted psittacosis (also known as parrot disease, contracted from parrots) when he shared his house in Primrose Hill, north London, with girlfriend Penelope Tree, a UFO detecting machine left by Rolling Stone Brian Jones, and around 60 parrots. Ramdom.

Here's a selection of Bailey's photographs, including iconic shots of his best friend Mick Jagger.