The portrait
The frame is all attitude. Snoop Dogg in a black fur jacket and dark sunglasses, shot in the lobby of the Chinese Theatre, glowing with soft flattering light against the darker room behind him. He is standing where I put him, looking straight at the camera, and the portrait has the ease of a man who has been photographed a million times but was actually enjoying this one.
Then there is the second frame. Usher in a long green jacket and sunglasses, same lobby, same soft light, listening to every word of direction I gave him. Two of the biggest names in music, shot minutes apart, in a quiet pocket of the theatre after the ceremony ended. No crew. No entourage in the frame. Just me, my Leica, and two legends who decided to trust the guy with the camera.
The story behind the shoot
A friend invited me to the hand cement ceremony of Quincy Jones at the TLC Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. I brought my Leica M10 P, because I knew there would be celebrities there, and I have learned to never leave the camera at home when that is true.
I got there about a half hour early and there were no celebrities. Then, minutes before the ceremony, the front row filled in: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Quincy Jones, Rashida Jones, Snoop Dogg, Usher, and Patrick Soon-Shiong. Snoop and Usher went on stage and gave a speech recognizing their idol, Quincy Jones.
Rashida followed them and spoke about her father's career: more than 60 years in entertainment, a record 80 Grammy nominations, Oscar nominations, and production credits on Michael Jackson's Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. In 1985 he produced "We Are the World." Watching him press his hands into the cement, then raise them for the audience, was a sight I will not forget.
After the ceremony came the VIP reception inside the theatre, basically just for the celebrities and Quincy's family. I met Snoop and told him I was a good friend of one of his good friends, Bishop Don Magic Juan. He gave me a hug. I asked if I could take pictures of him. He looked at my camera and said yes, of course. He is a big fan of Leicas, and he knew I was not messing around.
I asked if we could move to the light. His manager came over and said Snoop could not move. Snoop told the manager he was going to do what I said, because, and I quote, "I was the man."
I shot Snoop in the lobby in various poses and showed him the pictures. He absolutely loved them. He was having so much fun that he brought Usher over and told Usher to listen to whatever I said, repeating, "he's the man." Usher listened to everything I said. Snoop cheered me on while their publicists and managers snickered in the background.
I got my shots, and I had a lot of fun doing it. I am still in touch with Snoop, and I am sure we are going to shoot again soon.
The technical takeaway
For photographers, the lesson is this: find the light, then move the person into it, even when everyone around them says the person cannot move.
The lobby of that theatre was not a studio. But there was a pocket of soft, flattering light, and I knew it would give Snoop a nice glow for a serious portrait. When the manager said Snoop could not move, I did not argue and I did not settle for the bad light. I stayed calm, and Snoop overruled his own manager on my behalf. That only happened because I had already shown him I knew what I was doing, and because I kept showing him the pictures on the back of the camera as we went.
That is the discipline I have carried through 27 years as a celebrity photographer in Los Angeles and New York: never let the room dictate the portrait. You do not need a studio. You need one good pocket of light, the nerve to ask for it, and the habit of showing your subject proof the direction is working. Proof beats equipment. Every time.
It is also why I love ceremonies and red carpets. Most red carpet photographers shoot fast and move on. The real portraits happen in the quiet pockets afterward, when the speeches are over and the subject has a minute to actually be photographed.
FAQs
Where did David Christopher Lee photograph Snoop Dogg and Usher? At the hand cement ceremony of Quincy Jones at the TLC Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, during the VIP reception inside the theatre after the ceremony.
What were Snoop Dogg and Usher wearing? Snoop wore a black fur jacket and sunglasses. Usher wore a long green jacket and sunglasses.
How do I book a portrait session? Get in touch here and tell me about the shoot. I photograph celebrities, executives, and anyone who needs a portrait with presence, in Los Angeles and New York.
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