• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
The Cut
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Shopping
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • The State of the Uterus
  • Parenting
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Horoscopes
Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
More
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • The Cut Shop
  • nymag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
first looks
December 12, 2012

The Beautiful and Moody, As Shot by Bryan Adams

By Leah Rodriguez

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
Photo: Bryan Adams

A photo shoot gone wrong inspired Canadian singer Bryan Adams to start taking self-portraits for his album covers. He loved the process and soon began shooting fashion photography editorials for publications including Harper’s Bazaar, Zoo, and i-D. And his first book, Exposed, a retrospective available now, documents twelve years of images by the musician, who’s touring this month. “There is no such thing as a side project,” Adams told the Cut. He would shoot someone like Jared Leto during the day, then play a gig the same night. With introductions from Elton John and Daphne Guinness, Adams’s book also includes intimate portraits of high-profile celebrities like Queen Elizabeth II, Amy Winehouse, Mick Jagger, Sean Penn, and more. Below, read our interview with Adams as we chatted about the new release; then click through our slideshow for exclusive photos from the retrospective.

How did you choose the title Exposed?
I wanted to reference the idea of light exposing film, that sort of nod to technical things and double entendre of people exposing themselves.

How did you get into photography?
I really enjoyed the artistry of it. Because way before there was Photoshop, you had to go in and get your pictures printed, so sometimes you’d spend hours going back and forth getting one single print. And it wasn’t like you could just hit a button and press file save. You had to start again. There’s something wonderful about that. 

Do you still use film? Or are you all digital now.
No, I don’t. But I really have to say, my education in photography was really from the people that printed my pictures. They turned a lot of really crappy negatives into pretty nice pictures.

What photographers influenced your interest in pursuing the medium?
Certainly, all the guys I worked with in my career as a musician were hugely influential. And then New York photographers had the magic: [Richard] Avedon, and I love the humor and vulgarity of [Helmut] Newton.

What’d you learn from being photographed as a musician?
What was interesting was to see how everyone worked in a completely different way. I can remember one time I asked my record company to get a certain photographer. His name, which I don’t want to mention, sounded like another name. They hired this guy, and when he showed up, I said to him, “I love that picture you took of David Bowie,” and he said, “I’ve never worked with David Bowie.”

Oh no.
In that moment, I thought to myself, I don’t need to be going through all of this; I can take the pictures myself.

Did that photo shoot turn into a self-portrait session?
Well, it didn’t at the time. I sort of went through the motions and later on, I thought it didn’t really capture what I wanted, so I went ahead and did it myself.

What kind of music, if any, do you like to listen to on your shoots?
Mostly reggae.

* This slideshow has been reflected to correct the identification of Watkin Tudor Jones.

View
1 / 12 Photos
Tilda Swinton In Zoo magazine. Photo: Bryan Adams
Pierre Cardin Paris, 2006. Photo: Bryan Adams
Gus Van Sant In Fantastic Man. Photo: Bryan Adams
Helena Bonham Carter In Zoo magazine. Photo: Bryan Adams
Louise Bourgeois  In Zoo magazine. Photo: Bryan Adams
Victoria Beckham In Zoo magazine. Photo: Bryan Adams
Daphne Guinness In Harper's Bazaar. Photo: Bryan Adams
Pierre Cardin In Paris, 2006. Photo: Bryan Adams
Watkin Tudor Jones The lead vocalist of Die Antword. Photo: Bryan Adams
Jared Leto In Zoo magazine. Photo: Bryan Adams
Maggie Gyllenhaal In Interview magazine. Photo: Bryan Adams
Victoria Beckham In Zoo magazine. Photo: Bryan Adams
1 / 12

Tags:

  • first looks
  • bryan adams
  • victoria beckham
  • tilda swinton
  • daphne guinness
  • gallery
  • photographs
  • More

More Galleries

red carpet June 5, 2022
All the Best Looks at the 2022 MTV Movie and TV Awards  Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Hudgens, Jay Ellis, and more! 
parties! May 20, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Harry Styles > everyone! 
parties! May 13, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Bury me in Dove Cameron’s Saint Sintra skirt. 
parties! May 6, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Cue the Met Gala after-party FOMO. 
met gala 2022 May 2, 2022
Met Gala 2022: All the Looks [Photos]  Billie Eilish, Kim Kardashian, Michelle Yeoh, Hailey Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Blake Lively, and more. 
parties! Apr. 29, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  This one goes to Olivia Rodrigo and her sweater vest. 
parties! Apr. 22, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  “Fuck those Zoom tops.” 
celebrity style Apr. 18, 2022
The Best Looks From Coachella 2022  From Harry Styles’s sparkling Gucci set to Megan Thee Stallion’s metallic bodysuit. 
style Apr. 13, 2022
A Look Inside the New Museum’s Spring Gala  Featuring all the best looks. 
grammys 2022 Apr. 3, 2022
Grammy Awards 2022 Red Carpet: All the Looks  Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo, Lenny Kravitz, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, and more. 
oscars 2022 Mar. 28, 2022
How Were The Oscars After Party Looks Better Than The Actual Award Looks?  Finally, some fun. 
oscars 2022 Mar. 27, 2022
All the Looks From the 2022 Oscars Red Carpet  Zendaya, Regina Hall, Timothée Chalamet, Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, Ariana DeBose, and more. 
style Mar. 22, 2022
Bridgerton Season 2 Premiere: All the Red-Carpet Looks 
style Mar. 13, 2022
BAFTAs 2022: All the Red-Carpet Looks  Florence Pugh, Daniel Kaluuya, Emma Watson, and more! 
celebrity fashion Mar. 6, 2022
Spirit Awards 2022: All the Red-Carpet Looks  Julia Fox, Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, and more! 
Mar. 1, 2022
All of Rihanna’s Maternity Looks  From belly-baring looks to sexy leather dresses. 
Feb. 27, 2022
SAG Awards 2022: All the Red-Carpet Looks  Selena Gomez, Ariana Debose, Daveed Diggs, and more! 
paris couture week 2022 Jan. 27, 2022
Glenn Martens Wows As Guest Couturier for Gaultier Haute Couture It is a sight to behold.
By Vivian Chuang
Dec. 9, 2021
All the Looks From the And Just Like That … Red Carpet  Sarah Jessica Parker, Billy Eichner, Sara Ramirez, and more. 
style Nov. 29, 2021
Gotham Awards 2021: All the Red-Carpet Looks  Tessa Thompson! Kristen Stewart! And more. 
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Help
  • We’re Hiring
  • Press
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Accessibility
The Cut is a Vox Media Network. © 2022 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.