Edward Gajdel (born August 1, 1958) is a Polish-born photographer based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, best known for his celebrity portraits and art photography.
Early life
Edward was born in Sokolka, Poland and is the son of a Russian born father and a Polish mother. Gajdel's parents met in a German labour camp during the Second World War. In 1967 Gajdel emigrated to Canada with his family and settled in Beiseker, Alberta. His first encounter with photography was at age 6 when he observed his sister making black and white prints in a makeshift darkroom. At the time he was mesmerized by the magic of the process and it never left him. It wasn't until he was 17 years old after having emigrated to Canada with his parents that he knew he wanted to dedicate his life to this art form.
Career
His work has been published in numerous international magazines and is part of the permanent collection of the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Art and the Portrait Gallery of Canada. His commercial work is part of a collection of "50 Years of Advertising" in the Royal Ontario Museum.
(Polaroid) P Magazine featured Gajdel in an article titled "Man of the People" in which Oscar Peterson was quoted as saying, "I never feel as though I'm merely having my photograph taken. I feel part of something larger, something creative and lasting. On film Edward can capture what I want to say through music."
Honors
Gajdel has won numerous honours from organizations such as the Communication Arts - (eleven Awards of Excellence for various editorial and advertisings campaigns,) The National Magazine Awards Foundation - gold silver and honourable mentions for various Canadian publications including Toronto Life, Canadian Business, Financial Times, The Globe and Mail, enRoute and others. The Canadian Association of Professional Image Creators (CAPIC), The Advertising and Design Club of Canada Awards, Art Directors Club of Toronto Annual Awards Show, Applied Arts Magazine Annual Awards, American Photography Annual, World Press Photo, have also honoured Gajdel. He is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. The Innoversity Creative Summit in October 2014 which highlights innovation, creativity and diversity in the Canadian media recognized Edward for his contribution in making Canadian media more inclusive and innovative.
Professional career
In 1978 Gajdel enrolled in the Photographic Arts Program the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Shortly after graduating he enrolled in a workshop with Michel Tcherevkoff and was subsequently invited to intern with him in New York.
He returned to Calgary and immediately began to build a reputation for himself in the advertising and editorial world. As a young shooter Gajdel embraced everything around him as potential subject matter. H began photographing rock concerts for Brimstone Productions and at the same time developing his eye for fashion photography and still life but ultimately it was portraiture that would own his heart. In the fall of 1983 he left Canada to return to Europe to pursue opportunities with Vogue Italia.
Though he was taken on their roster and was to start shooting for them in early 1984 he returned to Canada for the Christmas break, got engaged and was married six months later to Djanka, who he had met just a few months before leaving for Europe.
A coin toss saw them set up shop in Toronto, his wife's hometown in June 1984.
After settling in Toronto, Gajdel began assisting a number of fashion photographers. Soon after he attracted editorial work for the likes of Toronto Life Magazine, Flare, Entertainment Weekly and MacLeans. It wasn't long before he set up his own studio and began producing work for various corporate, advertising and editorial clients around the world garnering hundreds of awards.