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A Famous Photographer Steps in Front of the Camera

Lynne Ramsay by Brigitte Lacombe Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

Brigitte Lacombe knows her way around a film set. She first made her mark as a photographer on the set of All the Presidents Men, and has since shot Uma Thurman on the set of Dangerous Liaisons, and Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon during the filming of The Talented Mr. Ripley. Not to mention her portraits of Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Pharrell, Barack Obama … the list goes on. At the Venice Film Festival, Miu Miu’s short-film series, “Women’s Tales,” screened a documentary that puts Lacombe in front of the camera. Director Lynne Ramsay, the filmmaker behind You Were Never Really Here and We Need to Talk About Kevin, went inside Lacombe’s portrait studio for the film, titled “Brigitte.”

Ramsay knows firsthand how it feels to have your photo taken by Lacombe. “I hate having my photo taken. Brigitte was the first one who captured me. She cast a magic spell. I always wondered, ‘How did she do that?’” She and Lacombe discuss how she does that in a voice-over in the short film. The actual footage shows Lacombe taking portraits in a hydraulic factory in London. Watch it below.

A Famous Photographer Steps in Front of the Lens