L A Times: Larry Fink's up close and personal celebrity photographs

[Chris Dodkin]

As one of Vanity Fair's official Oscar party photographers, it's hard to believe Larry Fink is not familiar with most of the celebrities he is shooting.

"It's absolutely true," said Fink by phone on his drive home from Bard College in upstate New York, where he has been a professor of photography for 19 years. "I don't watch TV or go to movies," he confessed, which may help him go undetected as he meanders along in the back rooms away from the red carpet paparazzi.

More than 90 of his candid photographs have been published in a coffee table-size collection, "The Vanities: Hollywood Parties, 2000-2009," (Schirmer/Mosel, $68).

The black-and-white documentary-style photos catch celebrities mingling at leisure with their guard down, acting rather, well, human. His pictures are the antithesis of the glamorous, artificial images the public is accustomed to seeing.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/09/larry-franks-up-close-and-personal-celebrity-photographs.html

http://www.amazon.com/Larry-Fink-Vanities-Hollywood-2000-2009/dp/3829605269/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1314976359&sr=8-3

 

[Brian Moore]

Cool stuff, Chris. By the way, do you think that is Bernie Taupin that Elton is holding?

 

[Pete Askew]

It's David Furnish, Elton's partner.

Thanks Chris, I'd seen the anouncement and want to have a look at this book to if it's worth buying.