Famed Scots lensman on iconic images
To become one of the world’s foremost fashion, art and celebrity photographers Albert Watson uses a secret weapon: being Scottish.
With more than 100 Vogue and dozens of Rolling Stone covers under his belt, the New York-based snapper says his Scots charm has helped him take portraits of some of the world’s most famous people, from Al Pacino to Jack Nicholson to Mick Jagger.
“My secret weapon is
I’m Scottish,” says Edinburgh-born Watson. “Compared to other nations we are quite chatty. And more than simply being chatty, I think Scottish people are very often genuinely interested when they talk to somebody.
“We’re not fake. You can’t do that with a lot of heavyweight personalities like presidents or royalty. They tend to see right through that. If I’m
photographing somebody like that I can’t just start saying, ‘you’re fabulous, you’re incredible, you’re gorgeous’. It doesn’t really work at that level. Your best weapon as a photographer is your own personality. I always say to young students to use your personality as much as your equipment.”
Watson, 79, studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee and, during the course of a stellar career, has gathered much more than just a portfolio of incredible images.
He has also collected a wealth of experience he’s now sharing in a book called Creating Photographs.
As well as a selection of some of his most memorable images the book also contains tips for aspiring photographers.
“It’s a bit like buying a home where location, location, location is important. With photography the key is preparation, preparation, preparation. A lot of young photographers don’t like to prepare, they want to be spontaneous. Spontaneous is good, spontaneous can work.
“But call spontaneity your Plan B. Your Plan A is to be organised and disciplined and prepared.
“It’s not to say don’t capture something unplanned. If something magical happens spontaneously that’s great. If you’re prepared you’ll be ready for it.”
Having invited Al Pacino to his studio for a shoot, Watson prepared for his subject as much as he prepared his film and lenses.
“I contacted his assistant and asked if he would like breakfast but apparently he doesn’t eat in the morning,” explains Albert.
“He does drink coffee though. His assistant told me Al likes Sicilian espresso coffee served with lemon rind so I went out and bought an espresso machine. The next morning I gave him his favourite coffee. It made a big difference to the shooting because he knew we had done the homework.”
Here, Watson shares the stories behind his most famous shots.
‘ Your Plan A is to be organised, disciplined and prepared