(bright music) - What made her such a great model?

Like, she's laying on the street, did you direct her to do that or what's the story there?

- No, no.

No, she drank too much Pastis.

- Oh, for real?

- Yeah.

- At lunch?

- She drank it and then she needed to lie down.

She will lay anywhere.

So I said, "Oh, this is a perfect picture."

(upbeat music) - Welcome to "Portrait Mode."

This is a special episode for me because I am turning the camera around on my dad, legendary photographer Arthur Elgort.

Not only is he a great and very present dad, but he was also the one who inspired me to be a photographer.

He changed the idea of what fashion photography could be and he pushed the entire industry forward, taking the models out of the studio and onto the streets.

Championed the careers of then newcomers, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Karlie Kloss, among others.

He has been a major influence for over 50 years from his Vogue covers, luxury brand campaigns, numerous photography books, and his celebrated documentary films on his passion subjects, jazz, ballet and rodeo.

I grew up coming to his studio and now we get to shoot there.

Hi.

- Hello.

- [Sophie] Good morning.

So these are your photos on the wall.

- [Arthur] Yep.

- Can you tell me a little bit about them?

- Well, a lot of them are my favorites.

So I would say Kate Moss, Patti Hansen, and Linda and Christy, and Dexter Gordon and Jenny.

These are all my favorite models.

They're getting older, so I need new models.

And this is Cindy Crawford, she was from Chicago and she was afraid to come here and I had to convince her she would be fine.

- Yeah, how old was she in that picture about?

- Then, I think 21.

- Wow.

- That's Patti Hansen.

- Uh-huh.

- And she's married to Keith Richards, which is there.

And that's Linda Evangelista, which I discovered in that picture was the first picture I took of her.

- Yeah.

Why do you think you were able to sort of discover so many of these models who then became really famous?

- I think I was lucky, lucky is a part of it.

And I always used to use people who said, "Oh, they're never gonna be good."

- So what do you think makes a good model?

Is there's something specific about each of these that made them?

- Your face, face, and their legs.

- Their face?

- If they have bad legs, forget it.

You know, then they can't be models.

- You know, you're pretty fast when you shoot, is that right?

- Well, I used to be, yeah.

- Well, but considering, you're pretty fast, so you were able to catch a moment and then you see something and then you just got it.

- Yeah, and I take one or two pictures.

- [Sophie] Yeah.

- It wasn't like, and there was no digital, so they couldn't say, "You did it wrong."

You know, now they see it faster than me, right?

- So I wanna bring you over and do a picture of you.

- Okay.

- In your studio.

I think I'll have you over on this side.

- Okay.

- That way, I have space to back up.

- [Arthur] Okay.

- So you be here and I will take your picture with my little point and shoot, my favorite film camera.

- Yeah, okay.

- That looks cool.

(camera clicking) How many times have you been photographed in front of this wall?

- A lot.

- And then I'll move back, I gotta get the shoes, you know, you got the good shoes on.

- Oh yeah, and see, she knows how to move down.

- I'll make you tall, I'll make you really tall, I'll get all the way.

- Now, I can't do that anymore, I need a chair to do that, right?

- All right.

- A photo.

- I think I got it.

- Okay.

- That was pretty fast.

- So now what?

- So now I'd love to take your picture over here, sort of in the middle of your studio, we can see the whole studio behind you.

(lively music) It's nice to start out standing.

First, I'm just gonna test my light.

I have the 85 on, so I'm sort of close.

- Oh yeah.

- So really good, it was kind of nice what you were doing before.

That's nice, you're a good model too, you know?

- Well, if I can't find anybody else, I use me.

- So you practice your posing in the mirror?

- Yeah.

- [Sophie] I'm coming in close, that was one of my lessons, right?

- [Arthur] Yeah.

- That's nice, that was a nice Face, it was like happy but not grinning.

Let's give you the Rolleiflex.

So I'll put the strap on.

Let's see how you would really do it.

(lively music continues) That's nice.

- [Arthur] Make me tall, thank you.

- That's nice, nice.

All right, now, I'm gonna do you with my Rolleiflex.

- [Arthur] Okay.

- Not 2.8, 4 at 60.

Yeah, that's really nice.

Okay, so same thing that you did with the digital.

That's nice.

Great, it's like you're in between the shot.

So yeah, you look down, you've done it, little happier.

Okay, let me move back.

Let me see if I can get the full wide.

- [Arthur] Okay.

- [Sophie] You really gotta get the shot with this because there's only 12 exposures.

- [Arthur] Yeah.

- [Sophie] Kind of makes you a little bit like, ugh, I better get it.

That's good.

(lively music continues) Oh, that's such a nice smile, actually.

So let's look at a couple of the photos that we've done so far, and then we can see what we still need, right?

- Yeah.

- So that's a nice full length.

- Very good.

Good too.

- Similar.

Oh, I'm gonna mark sort of as it makes my editing easier later.

- Okay, very good.

- I like that.

- That's good because I'm looking.

- You look like you're in action.

- Yeah.

- (laughs) A little silly.

- No, I don't like the legs there.

- Yeah.

- So you can- - What is it about legs that you like versus don't like?

- Well, because there's no room in between, see that's better.

- It's a nicer stance, yeah.

- No or no?

- Yeah, I agree.

- That's not good, so get rid of that.

- All right, we can delete.

- Yeah.

- [Sophie] That's nice.

- [Arthur] Yeah, good enough.

- How's that?

- Now you have no legs and you don't see the bottom.

- You want me to sit in a chair?

- Why not?

Yeah.

- Okay, are you ready?

- [Arthur] Yep.

- Open up that left eye a little bit.

Yeah, that's good.

Not so much.

I gotta get the beret.

- Oh good.

This makes me look like I have hair.

- Keep changing the face a little bit.

That's nice, you're very French.

(pleasant music) Cool.

Nice.

Yeah, that's cool, it's really cool.

Amazing.

So what makes a good studio?

When you came in, how did you know it was gonna be a great studio even though?

- Well, I like big- - High ceilings?

- Yes, and this is high enough, - Like 20 feet, would you say?

- Yeah.

And I would say now everybody else has a studio, it's either rented or they get in there and then they leave, right?

You don't own the studio at- - Pier 59?

- No, I don't think so.

Until you gotta take all your things out, right?

- Right.

- This way, I leave it there, I leave it in there.

- [Sophie] Right, and what about the light in the studio?

- I can't complain about the light.

You know, now if you are in the daytime, I mean, let's say eight o'clock.

- In the morning?

- Yeah, then that's very sunny.

Then it comes back and it goes around and then it comes through there good.

So even when it's dark, it's not really dark.

- Right.

So this book you made when I was probably eight.

- Yeah.

- What's so great about photographing kids?

- Well, they're easy because they don't think about it.

They couldn't care.

- At the kitchen table, I remember there was a little basket next to the kitchen table and you had your cameras in there.

- Sure.

- [Sophie] And you would just take one or two snaps, it was never like in our face.

Did you always hope that one of your kids would be a photographer?

- Well, I thought they were all going to be photographers.

- You thought we were all gonna be photographers?

- Well, they were good subjects, I think.

- I think what's interesting is how you didn't set up these shots, right?

- No.

- It wasn't like you came over to us with a camera.

- No.

- And said, "Oh, and now we're gonna shoot."

So you just sort of watched what was going on.

- Yeah, I had fun.

- So when you don't have a subject around, a lot of times you practice on yourself.

- Of course.

- Sometimes in the mirror?

- Yes.

- So let's go over, I wanna see how you do it.

(bright music) - Kinda like this, gotta grab a shot.

(camera whirring) All right, and then I'm gonna come into one.

(bright music continues) So how'd we do?

- Good, good.

- This was sort of the original selfie, huh?

- Well, kind of.

Now if you look carefully at this picture, that was in New Orleans and this is my room.

- This was your hotel room in New Orleans?

- Yes.

- Who were you there with?

- Grace Coddington, and these are the models called Christy and Naomi, and they're kind of famous.

Now, if you look carefully at this picture, Christy doesn't play the soprano saxophone, that's a fake.

- So how did the shoot come to be?

Did Grace call you up and say, "Arthur, I wanna go to New Orleans?"

- Yeah, and I want a story about New Orleans, but I wanted all of the time doubles.

- You wanted two girls in it?

- Yes, but then I add stuff that makes me feel at home.

So if you look carefully, you'll see George Benson and Dexter Gordon.

- To make it jazzy.

- Kinda.

- And are those photos that you took?

- Yeah, of course.

Even you, I don't use your pictures.

I can still take a picture.

- Okay.

- Yeah, and then, Naomi, I said, "Now learn this lyric."

- [Sophie] So she's studying.

- So she's studying, she never learned the lyric.

- [Sophie] But it looked good.

- Exactly.

- All right, let's change things up and do some rapid fire questions.

(upbeat music) - So now what?

- So these are rapid fire questions, so you answer just quickly, you don't have to think hard about it, the first thing you think of and short answers.

All right, ready?

- Yes, nice.

- Last song you listened to?

- The Beatles.

- Last movie you watched?

- "Priscilla".

- Favorite kind of film?

- Oh, you mean like westerns, westerns.

- Oh, I meant like film in a camera.

- Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you meant... - But that's also good.

- No, I mean, yeah, okay.

My favorite film is Tri-X.

- Favorite camera.

- The Rolleiflex or this camera 'cause it's light.

- Last person you called on the phone.

- You.

- Worst advice you ever received?

- I never listen to advice, so I wouldn't know.

- Okay, so now these are similar, this game is called "This or that?"

- Oh.

- Okay?

Uptown or downtown?

- Both.

- Subway or bus?

- A limousine.

- (laughs) You're such a subway guy.

Digital or film?

- I like film better because they don't bother me as much.

Digital's nice because I can see my mistakes.

- Color or black and white?

- Black and white.

- Handheld or tripod?

- Just handheld - Portraits or landscapes?

- Portraits.

- That's it.

You did a great job.

- That's it, can I go now?

Can I have the money, please?

(upbeat music continues) - I had this idea because there's this picture you took of me when you originally taught me how to use a Rolleiflex.

- And you were young.

- I was young, but I was thinking maybe we could recreate the picture and you could turn the camera around on me since I've been directing you all day.

- With that.

- Like sort of recreate this.

- Okay.

- Okay?

- Oh, I look good there.

- You do look good there.

So you tell me how close you want me.

- Okay.

- Is this good light?

- Yes, very good.

Now.

- And my hair was sort of like all over.

- Yeah.

Now, remember, I'd like to see your face a little bit.

And can you come closer?

Okay.

(lively music) Can I see you more?

Yeah.

- You get it?

- Yeah.

- Let me see, oh, I love it.

That's great.

- You know, I used to be a photographer, years ago.

- [Sophie] Could that be my new headshot?

- [Arthur] Sure.

- When you shoot in the studio, you usually also go outside for a couple shots, is that right?

- Well, yeah, because I know the Crosby Street well.

- So should we outside for a couple shots?

- Sure.

- I have this guy, my Super 8.

- No, it's very good, and I have this light camera.

(lively music continues) - So remember that picture of me in the book?

- Yeah.

- It's right here.

- Yeah.

I'll show you where.

- So you used this area a lot, right?

- No, Crosby Street.

Yeah.

Mainly Crosby Street.

- So you like the cobblestones?

- Yeah.

- So you're a New Yorker, you grew up here.

And then now this is sort of a set for you also, right?

- Yeah.

- You kind of use it as your set.

- Kind of, I don't like to walk far.

- So you go around the corner.

- Kind of, if I can.

- So I wanna photograph you with this Super 8.

- Yeah, would you like me to come there more?

- I think I kind of like this in the back for me.

- Okay, okay.

- You can take some pictures like you're taking pictures of something.

- Yeah, of course.

- You know what I mean?

- I am.

- So that will sort of be the story, and I'm shooting you and just kind of pivot.

(dynamic music) I'm rolling.

- Let me see your eyes.

- That was cool.

When you shoot here with your models, what do you usually have them do?

- Well, I use this grating a lot.

- You use the grating a lot?

- Yeah, and then sometimes.

- What do you do on it?

Like, what would you direct them to do on it?

- Show their legs.

- All right, let's do it one more time where you sort of look like you're looking around and you're taking a picture of something.

(dynamic music continues) - And right one more time, right at me.

And then just put the camera down and just kind of stand there like you're looking around.

That's nice.

(dynamic music continues) Look at me.

Coming in close.

(dynamic music continues) (Sophie chuckles) So let me just take a couple on this.

That's a great shot right there.

And I'm gonna come in a little closer.

That's nice.

Put that, yeah, I like the point.

(dynamic music continues) And there.

Perfect!

I think we got it.

Thank you.

That was fun.

- I love you.

- Thank you for being my subject and letting me turn the camera around on you.

- Thank you.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues)