I started shooting photography primarily specializing in headshots, and thus I’ve covered many celebrity headshot photographers that I looked up to. Now that I’ve moved to Maui, Hawaii, I’ve also moved beyond the headshot and I’ve shooting all types of portrait photography, mostly family photos on the beach, couples photos (engagements & elopements) and senior photos.
Today, we’re looking at 8 famous celebrity portrait photographers that have inspired me. And to differentiate this post for the myriad of “famous photographers” posts, I’ll also add a tip from each photographer.
Let’s start with my favorite:
#1 – Annie Leibovitz
Known as the photographer for the Rolling Stones, Vanity Fair and Vogue, Leibovitz is the photographer I’ve probably drawn the most inspiration from. I love her work on the beautiful Oliphant backdrops, where just merely renting one can run you upwards of $750 a week.
As far as celebs, she’s likely most known for her years of work with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. Her day rate is rumored to be $100,000 to $250,000 per day.
A tip from Annie Leibovitz: Develop portraiture with a meaning, and a concept behind it. For example, with Bette Midler she conceptualized a portrait of her in a bed of roses for her film, “The Rose.”
“I was trying to address their poetry in their portrait, and suddenly, it just clicked. HA! That the set-up portrait could have a story to it,” Leibovitz explained.
Another tip from Leibovitz is to spend time with your subject, where she’ll often spend sometimes all day with them. A luxury she can have with her day rate, though perhaps not an option for many of us portrait photographers who sell packages… but hey! Something to consider if you’re moving on up to become the next Annie Leibovitz.
I love her choices in backdrops (usually Oliphant), lighting and ideas to build out the set. It’s certainly inspired some of my sets, here’s a self portrait of me:
#2 – Martin Schoeller
A simple Google Images search for his name shows you that he’s worked with the who’s who celebrities:
Martin Schoeller has worked with A-Listers, Presidents, you name it
Fun fact, when starting out in headshot photography, I wanted to create a signature look that was different from the typical umbrella look. I thought of the flattering lighting in fitting rooms, and I know retailers have spent millions on consumer research and driving sales, fitting room optimization being a big part of that. Fitting rooms at many retailers feature strip bank style lighting that I many find very flattering.
Unfamiliar with Schoeller’s work, that’s the style of lighting I incorporated into my headshots when I started. It wasn’t until I saw the giant Nike billboards of Colin Kaepernick’s captivating headshot with a familiar lighting style and curiosity began to brew. Naturally, I Googled, “Who’s the photographer that took Colin Kaepernick’s Nike photo?” And lo and behold, I’m introduced to Martin Schoeller, a photographer who’s worked with pantheon of celebrities.
Interestingly enough, upon doing research on Schoeller and his influences, I learned that he moved to New York because he wanted to work with Annie Leibovitz or Irving Penn. He ended up working with Leibovitz for years.
A tip from Martin Schoeller: Don’t be afraid to get close to your subject…
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
#3 – Richard Avedon
Featured in my blog post on A Brief History of Headshot Photography, we can’t have a post on celebrity photographers without including Richard Avedon:
Barack Obama by Richard Avedon
Arnold Schwarzenegger by Richard Avedon
Avedon passed away at 81 years of age, no doubt one of the most iconic photographers of all-time.
A Tip from Richard Avedon: Some aspiring photographers think about the camera or lens they want to buy, but think less about the gear and more about the shot you want to get. Avedon was famous for saying, “I hate cameras. They interfere, they’re always in the way. I wish… I could just work with my eye alone.”
You don’t need the best gear. A full frame, heck even smaller sensor Micro Four Thirds camera surpasses the digital technology from a decade ago. Shooting portraiture, I started out with an entry level camera and invested in a good portrait lens. I then invested in better gear as I grew my photography business. Points which leads to my next photographer…
#4 Zach Arias
Looking at his portfolio, he’s shot a few celebrities but I wouldn’t say he’s known for being a “celebrity photographer.” But I will say he’s a photographer that has had a good deal of influence on me with his videos on YouTube. One tip he said stuck with me and certainly helped me develop a photography business the right way, and I’m paraphrasing but it was something along the lines of, “All you need is a camera, and one lens on the longer end (eg. 85mm), and one on the wider end, and that will take you a long way.”
#5 Russell James
Russel James is a celebrity photographer and director based in NYC who’s work I absolutely love.
YouTube kills me sometimes. Great photographers put up awesome content on YouTube, they got little traction, then they figure it’s not worth their time. The content still lives though, and the information is timeless.
#6 Tom Munro
Tom Munro is a celebrity photographer based in London who has shot for Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and more:
#7 Lindsay Adler
A beauty and fashion photographer in NYC, she’s one of my favorite photographers to follow on YouTube, I’ve taken her paid courses as well and she has a wealth of information and creative ideas.
#8 Jan Gonzales
A FujiFilm X Photographer, I love his work and the behind the scene looks of his lighting setups on Instagram: