MIKE Berkofsky BIO

I printed black and white fashion for Alec Murray, Mark Hamilton, Eric Swayne, and many others. I also made Lith prints of my own work, notably for Depeche Mode. I was inspired by Tony Armstrong Jones, who had a lot of movement in his early work. I had to eject Helmut Newton from my Chanel commercial at the race track with masses of background extras for exceeding the few minutes he asked for a few shots of the actors and background for a stills shoot the following day. I greatly admired Helmut but he loved to take over. I also admired John Cowan, Jean Loup Sieff, Terence Donavon, Duffy and Bailey. Donavon inspired me, he told me I was the next generation and recommended me to Vogue and The Sunday Times Magazine. Terence said, “All the cream come from the Hackney Road.”
I love Jill Kennington. I photographed her age 60 and she was still looking impressive. I worked with many fashion editors including Eve Pollard, Meriel McCooey, Susie Menkies, Michael Roberts, Christopher Ward, Bridget Keenan, Janet Street Porter, Nikki Williams, Chelita Secunda, and Norma Moriceaux.
Some of my models included Vicki Nixon, Alex Ruta, I love Edina Ronay and Barbara Miller, Moyra Swan, Priscilla Scanio, Gabriella Wright, Belinda, and Greta. Keith Richard’s ‘best bad girl’ Uschi Obermaier. Then there’s Babbette, Carey More, Jo Howard, Josephine Florent, Susi Purdy , Karina, Gemma Grace, the luminous Ingrid Boulting. The car crash girls, Jill Goodall and Lindsey Carlos-Clark, more….
1984 – Ridley and Tony Scott asked me to join their New York production company which I did. Later Jacki Barrett and I started Berkofsky – Barrett Production, L.A and New York I directed the Opium commercial with Linda Evangelista that was featured in the Yves St Laurent documentary. I directed and photographed Michael Jackson in the ‘Street’ commercial for LA Gear, Elizabeth Taylor in Elizabeth Taylor’s Passion, I recorded the Liberty speech with Kathleen Hepburn, she asked me, “And you young man, where do you come from?” She waved goodbye to us from her Brownstone stoop in New York when we left.
Logo photographed and created for a Los Angeles Production Company