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Bruce Weber Once Threw a Supermodel Off a Shoot

Photo: BFA

Famed photographer Bruce Weber sat down with Huffington Post Live on Tuesday, and shared a trove of fashion anecdotes that only famed photographers (and cowering assistants) have. Weber dished about photo shoots with Kate Moss, Abercrombie & Fitch, Terry Richardson, and most awesome, the time he kicked Cindy Crawford off of a shoot:

“I only sent one model back. But most of the time, I’ve never sent a model back because of their weight. I was photographing …Cindy Crawford. It was on a Revlon shooting, and she was so rude to the whole team and the crew. Not to me, but I didn’t really go for that. I was photographing some old boxers, we were in a boxing gym in LA. And she said to the art director: “Why is Bruce photographing those old boxers when he could be photographing me? My makeup’s ready.” So he came and he told me, and I walked up to her and I said, “Did you say that?” She said yes.  “Get out of here.” And she left, and she cried. That’s the only model I ever sent back.

There’s another thing Weber won’t stand for: when models are too thin. Here, he demonstrates some paternal concern and goodwill:

“If somebody was really too thin for a shooting, I would just put a lot of clothes on her. And I would talk to her agency, and I would say: “I think you’ve got to watch this girl. She needs your help … I really try to photograph men and women who are really healthy. But so many young people I know have so many eating disorders, and it just breaks my heart to see it. I really try to stand up for something in my photographs.”