FASHION

Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid, and Kendall Jenner Are All Photographers Now

Supermodels are increasingly deciding to go behind the camera, as well as in front of it. Is Instagram to blame?


This summer, 20-year-old model Bella Hadid did her first major editorial with W magazine, when she volunteered to photograph her family friends, Jesse Jo Stark and her mother Laurie Lynn at the Chrome Hearts headquarters in Los Angeles.

Behind the Scenes with Model-Turned-Photographer Bella Hadid

A still from the Behind the Scene video.

A still from the Behind the Scene video.

A still from the Behind the Scene video.

A still from the Behind the Scene video.

A still from the Behind the Scene video.

A still from the Behind the Scene video.

A still from the Behind the Scene video.

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A few weeks later, her sister, Gigi Hadid, was on assignment shooting polaroids for V magazine during fashion week in September. And as it was announced today, Kendall Jenner is teaming up with the Love magazine editor-in-chief Katie Eleanor Grand to find a Spring/Summer 2017 issue cover star via social media. She’ll also photograph the 20 finalists in Los Angeles in November.

While models launching secondary careers are nothing new (fashion designer is a popular choice), photography hasn’t always been the top choice, with the exception of Helena Christensen. In addition to Bella, Gigi, and Kendall, British It girl Suki Waterhouse, Chanel model Louise Parker and new face Radhika Nair, who shared her photographs of her hometown in India with W magazine this past weekend, are just a few other models of the moment who are going behind the lens.

Why this sudden desire to reverse roles? Well, many of these young, beautiful women have huge followings on Instagram for their well-curated photographs. Perhaps they’ve decided that if they can take a winning selfie, why wouldn’t they be able to turn the camera on someone else?