John Cowan started out as a freelance photographer in 1958. His adventurous and dynamic style soon attracted attention and his fascination with photographing beautiful women drew him to fashion photography. His lively images appeared regularly in the press including The Sunday Times, The Observer, The Daily Mail and the Daily Express. He was in demand from numerous magazines including Elle, Queen and Vogue. Cowan's intuitive approach to fashion photography found its ideal subject in 1962 when he began working with model, Jill Kennington. As fashion shifted to a more youthful and natural image of beauty, the collaboration between Kennington and Cowan came into its own. Cowan set up a swimwear fashion shoot in a working men's pub, posed Jill Kennington on the great statues of London and made fashion images for Vogue in exotic locations, from the Arctic Circle to the Arabian deserts.
