Famous for his fashion photography, Gilles Bensimon has been shooting celebrities and haute couture since his early 20s. In 1967, at 23 years old, he joined French Elle. Shortly thereafter, in 1969, he helped to launch American Elle, serving as International Creative Director and Head Photographer for the next four decades. With his edgy, exquisite images—of Naomi Campbell, Uma Thurman, Madonna, and many others—and his broad vision, he helped to shape the magazine. Though he hesitates to call himself an artist, Bensimon recently completed a series of fine art photographs of freshly cut flowers submerged in water, shot from above. Of these lush, painterly images, Bensimon says: “I realized the flower is something very tragic. When you cut them, they’re dead. But when you put them in water, they start to come alive again. They have a rebirth.