What Does it Take to Be a Celebrity Photographer?

Photography Tips

There’s no denying that being a full time photographer can sometimes seem like a labor of love. Fortunately for Richard McLaren, his passion for photography has been overflowing since he first got his start at the young age of 16. In the artist profile below, viewers are welcomed into McClaren’s studio, life, and mind as he talks about the road to becoming one of the world’s most renowned celebrity photographers:

McLaren’s work has graced the covers of many major magazines, such as GQ, Baazar, Elle, and Cosmopolitan. McLaren credits much of his success to his outgoing nature and the stress-free environment he creates on each set. Making sure the talent he is photographing that session is enjoying themselves helps ensure that their personality comes through in his finished portraits.

Salma Hayek

Jean Claude Van Damme

Pamela Anderson

“I think ninety-five percent is talent relations and five percent is photography. Everybody laughs on my set, we have great food, we have great music, and we end up getting great pictures. I think if you put a great vibe into a session, a great atmosphere, you’re going to get great results from it.”

When shooting an ad campaign for Emirates Airlines, McLaren discovered how fun it could be to incorporate moving portraits into his work, an idea that is beginning to see a rise in the world of photography. For such shoots, McLaren uses the incredibly capable PhaseOne, but cameras such as the Canon 1D C , 5D Mark III, and Nikon’s super compact Nikon 1 V1–all of which offer well suited video modes–put capturing pro-quality moving images within the realms and budgetary restrictions of hobbyists and serious enthusiasts alike.