German fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh, credited with inventing the concept of the supermodel in the 1980s, has died aged 74, a message on his Instagram account says.

Lindbergh recently shot pictures of women for the “Forces for Change” issue of British Vogue magazine that Meghan, wife of Britain’s Prince Harry, guest edited.

The women he photographed included actress Jane Fonda, climate activist Greta Thunberg and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden.

Peter Lindbergh and actor Milla Jovovich at the Taschen Gallery in Los Angeles in September 2016. Photo: Getty

Born in 1944 in German-occupied Poland, he is seen as the creator of a style of naturalistic fashion photography which showed women without heavy make-up and is known for famous images of Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington.

Lindbergh made an appearance at the Berlin Film Festival in February for a documentary about him called Women’s Stories.

The Instagram message said the photographer, who also directed films and documentaries, had died on September 3.

It gave no further details, saying only he was survived by his wife Petra, his first wife Astrid, four sons and seven grandchildren.

“He leaves a big void,” it said.

-AAP