Posts tagged ‘Los Angeles Times’
From The Archives: Legendary Artist Chuck Close
Years back, I was given the opportunity to visit and photograph legendary artist Chuck Close at his New York City Studio.
The shoot was for the Los Angeles Times Calendar Section cover story on Chuck. I was familiar with some of his work at the time, but didn’t know much about him personally. In 1988 he suffered a collapsed spinal artery which left him paralyzed on one side of his body. Through rehabilitation, he’s able to continue his painting, which makes his artistry that much more amazing.
I was given an address of a non-descript apartment building on a corner in SoHo and was amazed when the door opened onto a two-floor studio. Chuck’s easel, if you want to call it that, is located In the back of the studio against connected to a lift that can move the artwork up and down on the wall between the 1st floor and the basement so he can work on his paintings at eye level from his wheelchair.
I wasn’t able to take an overall shot of the setup because the piece he was working on at the time, a portrait of President Bill Clinton’s face, was embargoed. I was able to take pictures of chuck around the studio and details of the painting. Though you can see the painting and setup in the background of one of the photos.
Since the shoot I’ve become more familiar with his work and have been taking note of his work whenever I see it whether at a museum, the web, or an office building. I’ve also run into Chuck a few times over the past 7 years at various events at the MoMA and the United Nations.
Anyhow, it was a really fun experience to meet Chuck. The man is a legend!
A chuck Close painting in the JP Morgan Chase Headquarters in New York City.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
Last night I was watching the Golden Globes and just loved the two hosts, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who kept me cracking up all night. I thought it would be fun to take a look back at a photo shoot I had with the two of them back in 2008. The assignment was a press junket for their then new movie, Baby Mama. Like with any press junket, I’m tasked with showing up to a hotel, this time the Ritz Carleton in NYC, where I’m given a room to set up and have about 10 minutes to make a photo. I arrived early and decided the couch and stairwell would be the best spot.
One of my memories of this shoot was the insane amount of publicists and handlers that accompanied them into the room. Typically celebrities have a publicist in tow, but this time I counted at least seven who were all hovering over my shoulder while I was taking the photos.
The two were very funny and super nice…of course I had to get my photo with them!
From The Archives: Director Jason Reitman; Juno
Jason Reitman – Images by Robert Caplin
Another dip into the photo vault finds the hot film director, Jason Reitman, currently in the news for his latest movie, Up in the Air, starring George Clooney. Check out this cool interview with Jason Reitman I caught on my NPR podcast.
When I was commissioned by the Los Angeles Times in Feb 2008 to take his portrait, it was for a critical essay by Dennis Lim discussing the ways in which the new crop of Oscar-nominated best directors are emblematic of the direction cinema is moving. I’d link the story, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere online!
Jason’s publicist squeezed the shoot into his schedule at The London, a fancy hotel in New York. I showed up about 20 minutes early in order to find the hotel room and set up a few different poses prior to his arrival.
The highlight was when I used one of my awesome jokes to try and get a smile from the director… ”So a neutron walks into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender sets the beer down and says, “For you, no charge!”…
…but I only got pity.
Hey Jason, if you’re looking for a production photographer for your next flick…you know where to find me!
