The Politics Of Taking U.S. Presidential Portraits

A key element of making successful portraits is that they not only capture someone’s likeness but also convey the sitter’s personality or perhaps even some surprising hidden quality. But if doing this for celebrity portraiture isn’t challenging enough, since so much is known about the star, how do you handle capturing portraits of some of the most well-known and recognized people on the planet—namely, U.S. presidents? I recently asked New York- and Los Angeles-based photographer and director Chris Buck, who has for decades photographed celebrities as well as U.S. presidents, that question, along with other inquiries about shooting such famous politicians and how he captures such compelling images.

Getting Up Close And Personal With Politicians

One key for Buck is that he builds a rapport with his subjects, which depends on the right timing. For example, Buck recalls how he connected with President George W. Bush, who, in 1999, had just announced he was running for president.

Before the shoot, Buck didn’t know much about Bush but had heard he was friendly and had something of