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Master Photographers Tell You How

Michael Grecco Portrait and Celebrity Photographer A Look Beyond by Jason Elias Article rating: 7.00

Michael Grecco understands people.  As one of the world’s top portrait and celebrity photographers, his photos consistently move past the persona we all know to the person we rarely see.  And that is why his work is in demand.  The list of his clients is as impressive as it is long:  Entertainment Weekly, Time, Esquire, Premiere, Ray Gun, Buzz, Vibe and Bikini, corporate magazines Business Week, Fast Company and Worth as well as Newsweek, Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Discover, Self, and GQ. 

Based in Santa Monica, California, Michael is known for interesting and off-beat portraits, photos that reveal a closer, more intimate side of his subjects.   And it is that intimacy, that look beyond what others might miss that keeps his work engaging and innovative.

Michael Grecco’s photography career started young.  His fascination with photography began at age 12 watching his first image emerge in a developer bath.   Soon after, he discovered the work of photographers Duane Michaels and Ralph Gibson and knew he would shoot photography for the rest of his life. 

While in college he began accepting photo-journalism assignments from the Boston Herald but after a few years of shooting news, Michael decided he wanted a change.  So he packed up his bags and headed out to Los Angeles to pursue his true passion of being a people photographer.  For the next few years he hustled and started working with magazines such as People, Time and Life, allowing him to focus on his portrait career.

Since that time, Michael has become one of Hollwywood’s most sought after celebrity photographers.  Just a partial list of his portraits includes Jack Lemmon, Quentin Tarantino, Johnny Depp, Dwight Yoakum, the Farrelly brothers, John Singleton, the X-files stars, Salma Hayek, David Schwimmer, and Lucy Liu.   At the top of his game, Michael’s work continues to push boundaries, constantly searching for contact with the person beyond celebrity.  With the recent publication of his book The Art of Portrait Photography, Michael sat down with TakeGreatPictures to discuss his view of the world through the lens and give some tips and techniques on how to shoot amazing portraits.

Michael's Equipment:

Camera-
Canon
Hasselblad

Memory Card-
SanDisk

Tripod-
Gitzo

Filter-
Lee

Software-
Aperture
Adobe Photoshop

Camera Bag-
Think Tank
Lightware

Printer-
Epson

Scanner-
Nikon
Epson

Color Management-
Eye One

Video Camera-
Canon

Point & Shoot-
Canon

Monitor-
LaCie
Eizo

Cases-
Lightware

Lighting-
DynaLite

Computer-
Apple

Paper-
Hahnemuhle
Moab

Ink-
Epson

Film-
Kodak

Meters-
Sekonic

>>Click here to view the interview with Michael Grecco.

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	U should put an online gallery on this site so we can see your photos Posted by: Brooke Feb 15, 2007 @ 3:57 PM EST
	Great read! I'm always impressed with Michaels work. I just saw that this site got put up for a new book project of his. It's at www.nakedambition.com . His lighting and the subjects involved are really interesting. Posted by: stephenB Sep 24, 2007 @ 9:24 PM EST

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