”I am a visual sensualist.”
Born in Iowa in the turbulent 60’s, Richard Gerst grew up the youngest – and the only son – in a close family of seven.
He discovered his love of photography while on assignment in Africa as a military officer. After moving to Manhattan years later, he picked up a handy cam and directed and edited his first music video featuring Daniel Cartier (“Reviving”). The video was screened in film festivals and broadcast on LoGo /MTV. Soon after, Gerst began emphasizing still photography work.
In 2009 Gerst transitioned from portraiture to editorial work and subsequently shot acclaimed covers for UK, Australian, French, and Swiss men’s fashion and physique magazines, including two of the highest selling issues of the international men’s boudoir magazine DNA. Gerst’s first cover for DNA in early ‘10 was banned for display in the United States requiring wrappers . . . and was one of their top selling issues of the year. Gerst’s second cover story for DNA, featuring actor and DJ Nick Ayler for their Sexiest Man Alive issue in late 2010, remains one of the magazine’s top selling issues ever recorded.
In the summer of 2011, Gerst published his expensively produced premier photo monograph entitled Defensio, a limited edition (50 signed, numbered copies) hardbound book which simultaneously served up male sensualism with social commentary. The edition – hand bound with heavy matte paper, with an introduction penned by Jason Salzenstein – sold out to private collectors before going to press.
After 18 months and multiple rejections by Apple® (cited reasons never included content [sic]), the electronic version of Defensio was approved for sale via iTunes® through the app Photobook INS in July 2011, a first for a photo book of this genre with male rear nudity published in the United States.
Additional work from Gerst has been published in VOGUE-India, CLIENT Magazine, Supplementaire Magazine, Carbon Copy, Pin-Up Boys Magazine, Asian Women – UK, MÄNNER, BelloMag, VOX Hamptons, and others.
Gerst has shown in multiple exhibitions, with private collectors in both the United States and Europe. His professional memberships include the American Society of Media Photographers, American Photographic Artists, and Editorial Photographers.
In winter ‘11-’12, Gerst published a beach cover story reuniting him with Nick Ayler (Nous Model Management, Los Angeles) for Ian Cole’s magazine Pin-Up Boys Vol. 2 out of London. Ayler’s editorial feature was initially planned as a special center insert – but then moved forward and fully folded into the issue after review by the editorial board, and features Charlie® swimwear by Matthew Zink. Gerst’s story was the first full editorial assignment for a magazine which formerly only allowed a few pages per model as introduction to the fashion cognoscenti. After reviewing the story, Milan fashion guru and instructor Stefano Guerrini remarked at GQ Italia, “From the work that Ritts has left to us Gerst has inherited . . . the elegant, clear, sensual (without being excessive) way of photographing the male body . . . Richard is on track to become one of the most important photographers of his generation.”
Gerst lives in Manhattan with his husband and their two cats.
Born in Iowa in the turbulent 60’s, Richard Gerst grew up the youngest – and the only son – in a close family of seven.
He discovered his love of photography while on assignment in Africa as a military officer. After moving to Manhattan years later, he picked up a handy cam and directed and edited his first music video featuring Daniel Cartier (“Reviving”). The video was screened in film festivals and broadcast on LoGo /MTV. Soon after, Gerst began emphasizing still photography work.
In 2009 Gerst transitioned from portraiture to editorial work and subsequently shot acclaimed covers for UK, Australian, French, and Swiss men’s fashion and physique magazines, including two of the highest selling issues of the international men’s boudoir magazine DNA. Gerst’s first cover for DNA in early ‘10 was banned for display in the United States requiring wrappers . . . and was one of their top selling issues of the year. Gerst’s second cover story for DNA, featuring actor and DJ Nick Ayler for their Sexiest Man Alive issue in late 2010, remains one of the magazine’s top selling issues ever recorded.
In the summer of 2011, Gerst published his expensively produced premier photo monograph entitled Defensio, a limited edition (50 signed, numbered copies) hardbound book which simultaneously served up male sensualism with social commentary. The edition – hand bound with heavy matte paper, with an introduction penned by Jason Salzenstein – sold out to private collectors before going to press.
After 18 months and multiple rejections by Apple® (cited reasons never included content [sic]), the electronic version of Defensio was approved for sale via iTunes® through the app Photobook INS in July 2011, a first for a photo book of this genre with male rear nudity published in the United States.
Additional work from Gerst has been published in VOGUE-India, CLIENT Magazine, Supplementaire Magazine, Carbon Copy, Pin-Up Boys Magazine, Asian Women – UK, MÄNNER, BelloMag, VOX Hamptons, and others.
Gerst has shown in multiple exhibitions, with private collectors in both the United States and Europe. His professional memberships include the American Society of Media Photographers, American Photographic Artists, and Editorial Photographers.
In winter ‘11-’12, Gerst published a beach cover story reuniting him with Nick Ayler (Nous Model Management, Los Angeles) for Ian Cole’s magazine Pin-Up Boys Vol. 2 out of London. Ayler’s editorial feature was initially planned as a special center insert – but then moved forward and fully folded into the issue after review by the editorial board, and features Charlie® swimwear by Matthew Zink. Gerst’s story was the first full editorial assignment for a magazine which formerly only allowed a few pages per model as introduction to the fashion cognoscenti. After reviewing the story, Milan fashion guru and instructor Stefano Guerrini remarked at GQ Italia, “From the work that Ritts has left to us Gerst has inherited . . . the elegant, clear, sensual (without being excessive) way of photographing the male body . . . Richard is on track to become one of the most important photographers of his generation.”
Gerst lives in Manhattan with his husband and their two cats.