Japanese American photographer and film director, Karina Taira was born in San Francisco. She picked up a camera when she was 6 years old shooting the things she loved around her, her friends, family, horses, everything. At 15 she was shooting documentary and conceptual art projects and portraits as personal work. Not surprisingly, she started her professional career at the young age of 19, while still attending Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and traveled between Tokyo and Los Angeles. After moving to New York, she was awarded the Diesel perfume campaign which then brought her to Europe. This in turn led to major editorial and advertising work in Paris, Milan, Tokyo, and London. She specialized in beauty, luxury and skin with an organic touch, keeping a sensual feminine approach to her work. She loves to show beautiful women with a feminine and strong mood. Her images have led her to having a contract with Life Magazine shooting all of the celebrities for their covers. Karina has also been busy shooting commercials from perfume to car commercials all over the world. At the present time Karina divides her time between Paris and the rest of the world, traveling from project to project and dancing tango in Buenos Aires in the moments between. Her next big dream is to move intofeatures as she is currently writing her first script.
Karina Taira Director/Photographer
A short biography
Japanese-American Karina Taira was born in San Francisco and grew up in the States, yet remained close to her Japanese roots and family, several of whom provided her with artistic and creative influences. Her relationship with photography started early, by age six she was taking pictures of her friends, and putting together fashion shoots. Around the age of 15, Karina got more serious about fashion photography and started working in a lab. While completing her education between Paris, England and then Stanford University, she carried on photographing fine art projects.
By 19 she was working professionally as a photographer, while studying at the Art Centre College of design in Pasadena, California. After a year off to work freelance as an assistant then a photographer in Tokyo, she had a full portfolio and started working in Los Angeles and New York in parallel to college.
After graduating and moving to New York she quickly began working for major magazines, agencies, and clients. Her distinctive and award-winning Diesel Fragrance job in particular helped launch her career into fashion beauty, going on to shoot campaigns for Dior, Bill Blass, Guerlain and L’oréal.
A lot of these jobs for perfume, cosmetics and luxury goods clients brought her to Paris. Her work having a very French aesthetic to it, Paris became her hub quite early on, but also to London and Milan, Tokyo, where she worked on major editorial work (Vogue, Life, XS, I-D).
In 1999 she decided to further her talents into directing commercials, she self-produced her first spec commercial, which coupled with her already strong photography portfolio quickly won her jobs, two years later she had two commercials short-listed in the perfume category in Cannes.
Since then she has directed dozens of memorable commercials, not only for beauty and cosmetic clients (Boucheron, Cerruti, Covergirl, L’oréal, Lux, Nivea, Cacharel....), but also sensuous spots for Nestlé, as well as more recently launching into car commercials (Alfa Romeo, Toyota).
Today her bases are Paris and New York, but travels frequently throughout the continents, as her work as a director and a photographer has been highly successful internationally Karina joined Bandits as her home base production company in summer 2008. (Photo portfolio, résumé and client list on www.karinataira.com)
RESUME :
Advertising »
Lierac, Bourjois, Fabi Shoes, Givenchy Men's, Guerlain, Courvoisier, Pommery Champagne, Wolford, L'oreal hair, l'oreal cosmetics, L'oreal perfume, Eau Jeune perfume "Possesion", Christian Dior, Diesel perfume, Boucheron perfume "Initial", Guerlain cosmetics and beauty products, Absolut Vodka, Nina Ricci perfume, La Perla, Perfume "Magic Garden", Perfume "Lancetti", Axe Voodoo cologne, Ellen Betrix lipstick, Chaumet Haute Joaillerie, Max Factor makeup, Oil of Olay, Givenchy cosmetics, Louis Feraud, Maska, Salvani Damiani diamonds, Evian, Peugeot, Secrets, Kotex, Marks +Spencer, Microsoft, Lee Jeans, Vera Wang, Neiman Marcus, Globus Lingerie, Phillips Electronics, Il Marchesse Coccapanni with Claudia Schiffer, 3 Suisses(Junko Shimada), La Foret Department store, Printemps, Galerie Lafayette, Evita, Amsale, Via Spiga shoes, Troa, Antinea lingerie, SFR telephone, Garnier hair boxes, France Telecom, Maria Grazia Severi, David Fielden, La City, miss selfridges, Carroll, Anna Rita, Target, Tag Heuer, Courvoisier, Playstation, Dior cosmetics, Bath and Body Works, Motorola
Editorials »
Vogue Gioiello, Premiere Magazine, ESPN, Life Magazine (under contract), Blackbook, Bon, Big, Rouge, XS, Italian Amica, i-D
Celebrities »
Juliette Louis Dreyfuss, Chris O Donnell, Emilie De Ravin, Robert Downey Jr, Diego Luna, Alice Braga, Nick Nolte, Trevor Morgan, Ashley Judd, Laura Prepon, Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, Joel Edgerton, Robin Tunney, Scott Wilson, Chiwtel Ejiofor, Guy Pearce, Nick Cave, Danny Huston, Tom Budge, Josh Hartnett, Lucy liu, Amber Tamblyn, Melissa Leo, Jim Gaffigan, Elizabeth Reaser, Justin Kirk, Gretchen Mol, Julianne Nicholson, Toni Colette, Beastie Boys, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Brad Henke, Sam Bottoms, Thomas Guiry, Clayne Crawford, America Ferrara, Raymond J. Barry, Heather McCombe, Brian Jun, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Neil Young, Jonathan Demme, Max Minghella, Sophia Myles, John Malkovich, Gael Garcia Bernal, Alain Chabat, Michel Gondry, Sascha Barone, Patrick Fugit, Leslie Bibb, Shea Wingham, Michael Rapaport, Matt Dillon, Lili Taylor, Agnes Bruckner, Brian Klugman, Gina Gershon, Kelli Garner, Justin Long, Wim Wenders, Tilda Swinton, Sam Shepard, Judah Friedlander, Joseph Fiennes, Wilmer Valderrama, Judah Friedlander, Al Gore, Ben foster, Tilda Swinton, Julia Stiles, Jeremy Renner, Emil Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Anniston, Catherine Keener, Shannyn Sossamon, Cecilia Cheung, Beyonce, Heather Graham, Andy Lau, Rachel McAdams, Owen Wilson, Danica Patrick, Melissa George, Steve Nash, Steve Martin, America Ferrara, Patricia Heaton, Taye Diggs, Rasario Dawson, Alexis Bledel, Amber Tamblyn, Blake Lively, Tracie Thoms, Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp, Jesse L. Martin, Maggie Cheung, Ciara, Bijou Philips, Nelly, Bernie Mac, Amare, Stoudemire, Kate Earl, Camilla Belle, Bill Murray, Chiaki Kuriyama (Kill Bill), Lou Douillon, Liz Jagger, Paz Vega, Tiger Woods, Marion Jones, Jacques Villeneuve, Zhang Zyii, Andy McDowell, Andy Lau, Natalie Portman, Jean Reno, Luc Besson, Tricky, Jennifer Tilly, Ione Sky, Everything but the Girl, D'Angelo, Minifa, Diana King, Billy Lawrence, Royal Crown Review, Claudia Schiffer, Morgan Fairchild, Patti Griffin, Heavy D, Addie Brik, Tacuma Jamaladeen, Maxim Vengerov, Adrian Pasdar.
Books »
Absolout Zodiac
Film Commercials »
Nestle extreme
Avra water
Remy martin "the tail"
Olay Toner (Maggie cheung)
Olay eye cream (Maggie cheung)
Juvederme
Korona chocolate (matador)
Pantene "layered hair"
Nivea "First Kiss"
Nivea "Coat room"
Nivea "Balcony"
Nivea "Strap"
Toyota Auris
Loreal accord naturel (eva longoria, doutzen Krouss, Kerry Washington)
Loreal glam bronze (Doutzen Kroes)
Loreal demak expert (Linda Evnagelista)
Loreal Glam Shine (Lide Evangelista)
Pantene Clinc care (Dujuan)
Pantene winter (Big S)
Redds beer
1848 Chocolate
Muller Bianco
Raffaello
Amway Artistry
Toyota Avensis
Nivea Smooth Sensations "bedroom"
Nivea Smooth sensation "living room"
Nivea Age defying "Plunging necklines"
Lux Whitening (Maggie Q)
Illume Eye Jellies
Illume Capture Milk
Daniel Hechter Perfume
Ponds "Miracles"
Ponds "New Faces"
Lux Spa
Romon (Andy Lau)
Guerlain Shalimar
Perfume Noa
Yves Rocher Institut de Beauté
Boucheron perfume "Initial"
Perfume Eau Jeune "Possesion"
Snep "protection of artists rights"
La Foret Department Store (Tokyo)
Nestlé Noir
L'Oréal Glam Shine (Laetitia Casta)
L'Oréal Idéal balance
Velours Noir café
Cerruti parfum homme
Revitalift L'Oréal (Andie McDowell)
Alfa Romeo
Black Ice (Nestle)
American Online
Covergirl Mascara (Tasha Tillberg)
Personal Works »
Armory show 2004 event at Crobar
Curated by Carmen Zita
10 digital video artists
screening of "the box"
Ten Tshirts
At Colette
Video installation May 2004
Exhibition DP Fong Gallery
San Jose CA
November '92
Absolut Zodiac
Worls travelling Exhibit and book
sponsored by Absolut Vodka
Paris show '98
"Exhibition" in Paris
During La Mois de la Photo
Prints and video presentation
Sound By Ben Manuel
2002 November
53 bis rue de la Roquette
"Teardrops on the Moon"
Photographs and video installation
Sound by Q Department
Feb 12-March 3 2004
6 rue le regrattier
75004 Paris
