In the 1980s and 90s he introduced a distinct blend of high-octane energy and offbeat spontaneity, through predominantly black-and-white images, into the traditionally commercial form of fashion photography.

Other subjects included Al Gore, James Brown, Donald Trump, Natalie Portman, Tom Hanks, Roger Federer, Tilda Swinton, David Geffen, and a group portrait of 40 Nobel laureates.

As a lead photographer for Rolling Stone Magazine he took portraits of Amy Winehouse, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, the Beastie Boys, Florence Welch, and Metallica.

He has also photographed several albums including the Rolling Stone's "Bridges to Babylon," Beyonce's "B'Day," and Paul McCartney's "Memory Almost Full."

His black-and-white style was utilized most directly, however, by Sting, who asked Vadukul to take the photos for his "Dream of the Blue Turtles" solo album, which was the artist's first after the Police.

Vadukul has also photographed campaigns for Chloé, Comme des Garçons, Longchamp, Armani, Emanuel Ungaro, Sandro, and HBO's "Six Feet Under."

Max Vadkul currently resides in Milan, Italy with his wife Nicoletta Santoro, former fashion director/creative director of Vogue Italia, with whom he has two children, Alex and Eloise.

In November of 2022, Dubai’s Culture and Arts Authority hosted, “Timeless Exhibition”, where Max chose Ludmilla Voronkina as his protagonist and displayed 30 large-format images dedicated to women.