(Image by Peter Lindbergh/British Vogue)

German fashion shooter Peter Lindbergh, known for his elegant style, died Tuesday, September 3, at 74.

Born in German-occupied Poland, he grew up in Duisburg, Germany, finding work as a young man as a department-store window dresser before becoming inspired by nature to pick up a camera and to explore fine arts.

He attended the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts and studied abstraction at the College of Art in Krefeld.

After 1971, Lindberg focused on photography, quickly building a name for himself at Stern.

His work was fashion-driven, but while beautiful, was not glitzy nor escapist. His stunning British Vogue cover (January 1990) of Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Tatjana Patitz was the unofficial launch of the era of the supermodel.

Lindbergh twice shot the famous Pirelli calendar (1996 & 2002) and produced sumptuous books, such as his 1996 bestseller 10 Women.

(Image by Peter Lindberg/British Vogue)

Among his most famous work, he shot the film poster for The Hunger (1983) and album covers for Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, Mika and Beyoncé. He shot some of the most well-known women in the world, including Madonna, Charlotte Rampling, Rihanna, Helena Christensen and, just this summer, worked with guest editor Meghan Markle on the September cover of British Vogue, the cover of which featured portraits of 15 women identified as “Forces for Change.”

As a film director, his work included Models, the Film (1991), Inner Voices (1999) and Everywhere at Once (2008).

Lindbergh was honored by amfAR in 2014 for his work in the field of AIDS awareness.

Lindbergh is survived by his wife of 17 years, Petra Sedlaczek, and his four children, including his son Simon Brodbeck of the photography duo Brodbeck & de Barbuat.