Photographer Tyler Mitchell Clarifies Rumors About His Hiring for Beyoncé’s ‘Vogue’ Cover: ‘The Truth Is Raul Martinez and Anna Wintour Proposed and Hired Me’

23-year-old Tyler Mitchell took to Twitter on Monday to address rumors that Beyoncé hand-selected him to photograph her September ‘Vogue’ cover — making him the first Black photographer to shoot the cover in the mag’s 126-year history.

While Beyoncé ultimately chose him for the shoot, Tyler makes it clear that Anna Wintour and Condé Nast’s Corporate Creative Director, Raul Martinez, were the ones responsible for hiring him.

via Complex:

Wintour shot down reports that Bey was the only one involved with picking Mitchell, marking the first time that Vogue hired a black photographer to shoot a cover for the publication in its 126-year history. Instead, she stated the credit belongs to Martinez. “The concept and the photographer was entirely Vogue’s, specifically Raul’s,” she told BoF. 

Martinez says he first became aware of Mitchell after seeing his work in March’s Teen Vogue digital cover where he photographed gun control activists. When Beyoncé was presented with a list of photographers to work with for her shoot, she “immediately approved” Mitchell because of the historical implications that came with his hiring. He was also well known within Beyoncé’s inner circle after previously photographing her sister Solange. 

Wintour also responded to the report that Beyoncé was given full editorial control, saying that like other big stars who grace the cover, it was more of a collaboration. As for those rumors of her departure as editor-in-chief, Wintour fired back, “I’m not going to address it, I’m not going to address it.” 

Ms. Wintour wants her credit!