ANNIE LEIBOVITZ

It took me two years to fit into Annie's schedule. Being on the other side of the camera was not her favorite thing. But once she committed, she was with me. The session took place in her New York office at 7:00am. That meant setting up the lighting the night before and coming in at 6:00am to finalize last minute details. An image does indeed occur in a moment, but getting there can take untold time and massive dedication.

SASHA SHULGIN

Sasha was a Harvard and Berkeley trained biochemist who spent much of his time researching psychoactive compounds at his home based laboratory in Northern California. He  was one of the few American scientists who was awarded a license from the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) to explore the psychopharmacology of such agents as MDMA and Mescaline. He often tested these psychoactive drugs on himself.

This was a session where I really had to just go with the flow. His work was all a bit above my head and his laboratory was forbidden to be photographed. Now, in hindsight, I realize I was in the presence of a gentle soul who happened to be the master of of psychedelic drugs.

GEORGE BURNS

From the moment we entered the home of George Burns to the time we left, he told jokes. He was brilliant and gracious. He invited us for tea
and cookies. And his cigar? He had an attendant whose job was to hand him a freshly lit cigar when the one he was holding was getting too short.
He didn't want that cigar looking like a cheap stogey. He was a very elegant man. He missed his wife, the equally funny Gracie Allen.

MORGAN FISHER

GUGGENHEIM FELLOW

VENICE GONDOLIER

Well, sort of Venice. Venice, California that is. Seems this lovely gondolier was photographed in Venice, Italy for Condé Nast Traveler Magazine
but the images did not come out well. I got a call from the art director, Lloyd Ziff, telling me the gondolier was in Los Angeles and asking me to photograph him ASAP while making him look like he was in Italy! I went to the Hollywood Costume Shop and rented the right clothing and hat and
whisked him to one of the Venice canals. Violá, a Venice Gondolier. It's Hollywood and nearly any dream is attainable with vision and fortitude.

THE BARBARIAN BROTHERS

People Magazine asked me to photograph the Barbarian Brothers, David and Peter Paul; two huge body builders that were doing quite well in the movie business. It was the magazine’s idea to hire a bear to visually contrast the strength and power of the brothers. As someone said, “you can always made a picture better if you put a bear in it."

True. So true.

JAYME ODGERS

URSULA K. LEGUIN

LIFE MAGAZINE

I arrived in Oregon on a usual rainy winter day. The minute she opened the door and before she let me in, she started complaining that the last LIFE photographer made her stand outside and she caught a terrific cold. This was not a good start. I backed out of the doorway and closed her door. I waited several moments and then rang the bell again and she opened the door, again. I re-introduced myself and said what a great day it would be to photograph inside. She smiled, let me and my assistant in the door and we had one of the most wonderful afternoons ever. She often wrote her novels with a pencil in the garden on a yellow lined legal pad. Her literary career spanned nearly sixty years, producing more than twenty novels and over a hundred short stories, in addition to poetry, literary criticism, translations and children's books. It was clear; I was in the presence of an extraordinary person.

INGA LIZDENYTE

CHARLTON HESTON

Jeff Cohen, the picture editor of Playboy Magazine wanted Mr. Heston to look American. After researching him at the Motion Picture Library, I discovered he loved peanut butter. Love is good, so, what could be more American than his white tennis shirt, blue background, red tablecoth and peanut butter? Moses must play many roles and he does them well.

FREEWAY OVERPASS

JAN BIRNBAUM

A chef outstanding in his field. There was only one Jan Birnbaum. He was a big man, a generous man, a kind man. And my, could he cook. He cooked in the finest restaurants in the world and always had a child-like enthusiasm for what he was doing. He was loved by owners, diners and the people in his kitchens. When I handed him this ginormous whisk, he was all in and knew exactly what to do with it. Thank you, Jan. You are a Prince among Princes.

JO ANN CALLIS

MICHAEL SCHWAB

GRAPHIS MAGAZINE

All photographers search for a unique style. I love working with scale. A camera does this very well. When Michael saw the size of the paintbrush I brought to the session, he took it from me and put as much red paint into the bristles that he could. A good photograph happens somewhere between the photographer's idea and the subject's enthusiasm for that idea. And keeping one's finger on the button. Timing is everything. The element of suprise is a fleeting moment that cannot be authentically duplicated unless you are working with actors, which most of us are not.

MICHAEL McMILLAN

JOHN MATUSZAK

PLAYBOY MAGAZINE

Jeff Cohen, the picture editor at Playboy wanted the largest man in football to look big. Jeff is himself a photographer and a wonderful collaborator. And he trusted the photographers he worked with. I tried two ideas for this session. First, I rented a set of beautiful twin newborn babies for John to hold in each arm. Not being a father, he didn't really relate to this. Then, I tossed him a toy football and his entire persona lit up. He loved the football and suprise, this photograph was hailed as one of the most iconic sports photographs in history.

WILLIAM B. SMITH

CHAKA CHAKA CHAKA KAHN

CHAKA CHAKA CHAKA KAHN

"Shoot it both ways," pictures editors used to plead. This was not my favorite thing to do, shoot color film and then switch to black and white. It just got confusing. But it worked on this session because Chaka was so professional and gave me so much of her energy to work with. This was one of those times where I left the shoot thinking I had the best job in the world.

THE BAND

My first real job in Hollywood was to photograph Bob Dylan's back-up band, The Band, for Bob Cato and A&M Records. Cato was a protégé of
Alexey Brodovitch at the Design Laboratory, an advanced invitation-only New York think tank, training graphic designers including Marvin Israel
and photographers including Richard Avedon and Diane Arbus. Cato had a portfolio drop-off policy for photographers. That seemed like the kiss
of death so I wrote him a letter explaining why he should see me. Convinced, he met me, saw GUEST REGISTER, and hired me on the spot.
He asked when I could schedule The Band session and I said, "three weeks." I was nervous. With someone like Cato, one who is used to a
New York Minute, three weeks is an eternity. I did the session five days later. Job #001.

RYSZARD HOROWITZ

NORMAN FELTON

JOEL MEYEROWITZ

Dem Bones