New York photographer covers the famous and homeless

For over three decades, Martin Schoeller has been at the head of the contemporary portrait. His style of closing the signature examines the faces with an almost forensic intensity, surprising both the powerful and the powerless, with an unfiltered accuracy-always applying the same style and approach to all.

Speaking at the International Festival of Photography (Xposure), the famous New York photographer offered a sincere look at his career, detailed his unconventional beginnings, the artistic ethos that led his unpredictable, often chaotic nature.

Schoeller remembered the early financial struggles recognizing: “I was broken. I had no money. ” Desperate with work, he became incorporated with the Newark Police Department, throwing his way into their confidence. “I told the press secretary that I was working for a German magazine on a play about the police in the United States. He never checked my credentials and said, “Okay, I have these two detectives you can find.”

His big break came in 1998, when Time Out New York ordered him to photograph Vanessa Redgrave. Over the years, Schoeller has captured about 3,000 close portraits. The width of its subjects is amazing: celebrities, world leaders, athletes, homeless, Holocaust survivors. He constantly pushed the limits of the portrait, mixing conceptual elements with his journalistic instincts.

A favorite example was his 2003 portrait of Quentin Tarantino, taken at the height of Kill Bill’s notoriety. Another classic was his portrait by Tony Hawk, in which the legendary skateboarder jumps from his own kitchen meter with his wife and two children who share the frame. “He wanted to be photographed in a skate park,” Schoeller admitted. “I told his wife:” He will make a wonderful Christmas greeting. ” So he made him do it, “he noted.

Schoeller not only documented the famous, but also shed light on the overlooked.

One of his most personal projects involved the photograph and interviewing over 300 homeless in Los Angeles. “I set up my studio near a food truck led by a friend’s father,” he said. “Because people trusted him, they trusted me.”

A very fiery meeting came when he photographed a young man ran by name Frisk. “His mother contacted me after seeing her portrait on Instagram. With the help of other homeless people, I found him, and he ended up moving back home. Of 300 stories, this was the only happy end. “

Schoeller’s commitment to social problems is extending to his work with the witness Inocence, an organization that supports Death Row’s exeonates. His project for several years, which captures the frightening experiences of exonerated people culminated with an exhibition, a national geographical feature and a museum show. “It took me two years to gain the confidence (of the publishers). At first, they thought my portraits looked like a helmet, not something they wanted to be remembered. “

“The hardest part”

Despite the change of the editorial photography landscape, Schoeller remains firm in his approach. “The advertising jobs pay the invoices, which allows me to finance personal projects where I can lose money,” he gave up. “But the hardest part? Coming with an idea that makes sense and convincing someone famous to do it. You don’t see the failures. But for every 10 ideas, I am lucky if three or four happens. “

As he wrapped his discussion, Schoeller reflected on his work body with a characteristic candor. “Sometimes you succeed, sometimes you don’t. But if you first take pictures for you, not just for the subject, then you are on the right track. “

His portraits of the Listers or those forgot to resonate because they eliminate the fireworks, leaving only their subject and story. For Martin Schoeller, that has ever mattered.

This is one of the numerous Xposure discussions this year, in which visitors not only have the opportunity to get into the bright photography, but also to interact closely with the creative geniuses behind the lens.

Xposure 2025 is a free event and will run until February 26 in Aljada, Sharjah. For more details about programs, workshops, exhibitions, visit: www.xposure.net.