Andy Gotts
Andy Gotts has been capturing famous faces for 30 years, yet he modestly describes himself as a movie buff who just happens to be a photographer. Of his photography work he says, “I see my [photography] sessions as a lovely conversation interrupted by going ‘click’ now and again. It’s a conversation I’m having with a hero or an icon, and now and again I have to stop to do a photograph, then start a conversation again.”
He says he sees his portraits “as face studies” and doesn’t use intricate backgrounds or complicated image construction. His mission is to create an iconic portrait of a globally known face in a quirky and intimate way. Faces that have been captured in the Gotts style include Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Robert De Niro and Clint Eastwood. He also shot the final portrait of Hollywood legend Tony Curtis.
His photography book projects have included the best-selling Degrees and the Save The Arctic project for fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. In 2012, he received an MBE for services to photography from Her Majesty The Queen.
Predictably, perhaps, I manage to track down Andy Gotts as he’s on his way to shoot portraits. He was driving from London to Edinburgh to photograph actors Iain Glen and Martin Compston, who star in the upcoming Amazon Prime
