portrait sure things?

©Chris Buck

I don't photograph celebrities. It's not a policy, mind you - it's just that no one ever hires me to do it [attention-getting cough here]. I did share an elevator ride with Fabio, though, and George Clooney once opened a door for me (chivalry isn't dead in Hollywood). But if I were asked to photograph a celebrity, here's my list of what I think would be portrait sure things. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying it's an easy niche - there are time restraints, publicists, egos, 2nd and 3rd assistants, and gigantic fans to position. And the photographers that do this work, do it really well. I once did a great workshop with Andrew Eccles, and I love the work of Kwaku Alston. Chris Buck is my favorite portrait photographer working. But anyway, here's a list:

The Top Ten Celebrities That, Given A Normal Amount of Time And Good Catering, Would Be Pretty Easy To Make A Great Portrait Of:
1. Beck
2. John Hodgeman
3. Tina Fey
4. Cat Power
5. Moby
6. Philip Johnson
7. Naomi Watts
8. The White Stripes (does that make this a Top Eleven?)
9. Yo Yo Ma
10. Bjork