Prince's Photographer Shares His Best Stories
Has there ever been a pop star more effortlessly photogenic than Prince? The man could look remarkable in nothing but a floral arrangement. Even his passport photo was a stunner.
Everybody knows this, but nobody knows it quite as intimately as the photographer and filmmaker Afshin Shahidi: He was Prince's personal photographer. The partnership began in 1993, when the young photographer was invited to be a loader for a music video at Prince's Paisley Park. "I was in awe and just stood there and stared at him even though they had told me several times, whatever you do, don't stare at Prince," Shahidi recalls. Prince struck up a conversation with Shahidi, who began working regularly for the superstar, eventually landing a gig as his cinematographer. In 2001, he became Prince's personal photographer, traveling the globe with the musician and capturing his image in public and private for thousands of fans.
Shahidi's photos of the late star are captured in an immense new book, , which spans a decade of Prince's career. (The photos of the musician below are taken from the book.) We asked Shahidi to share his six favorite Prince stories. He gladly obliged.
