The Art of Celebrity Portraits through the Lens of Monica Schipper

In an age where celebrities often appear larger than life through music, film, or fashion, portrait photography serves as a powerful tool to strip away the facade and reveal the authentic human experience beneath. While any picture can tell a thousand words, a perfectly executed portrait tells a hundred stories, conveying personality, passion, and raw emotion in a way other mediums simply cannot. This intricate art form is one that professional photographer Monica Schipper has confidently mastered.

A compelling portrait hinges on two crucial elements: an interesting subject and intelligent lighting. Growing up in Melbourne, Australia, Schipper first honed her photographic eye with her mother's guidance, experimenting with natural light by positioning subjects in front of windows around their home. Little did she know then that after moving to America in 2008 and ascending through the ranks of New York City's photography scene, she would bring that same enthusiasm and technical prowess to photoshoots with some of today's most influential figures.

From Emerging Talent to Global Recognition

One of Schipper’s first major breakthroughs came in 2013 through the seminal entertainment magazine Variety. Each year, Variety unveils its "10 Actors to Watch," spotlighting up-and-coming talent poised to become cinema's next big stars. The 2013 class was particularly distinguished, featuring talents like Star Wars star Oscar Isaac, Black Panther protagonist Michael B. Jordan (fresh off his Sundance win for Fruitvale Station), and Marvel starlet Brie Larson, all of whom attended the honorary panel at the Hampton International Film Festival (HIFF).

Booked by HIFF as their house photographer, Schipper was tasked with capturing high-quality images of the "10 Actors to Watch" for the film festival’s press releases and Variety's content related to the annual event.

This wouldn't be the last time Schipper's work would grace the pages of Variety. As a frequent contributor to Getty Images, the world’s largest media agency, since 2013, Schipper and her camera have gained access to countless high-profile events and personalities. “When I’m shooting for Getty Images I often don’t know where my photos will end up,” the photographer says with a laugh. “My work turns up in publications all over the world!”

Documenting Social Justice and Fashion Icons

Through Getty, Schipper was assigned to photograph the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival’s social justice event, Tribeca Talks: TIME’S UP. This collaboration between the Tribeca Film Festival and TIME’S UP, in response to the national movement for gender equality in the workplace, featured a day of conversations with women who had played pivotal roles in raising awareness for the cause.

Activists, storytellers, business leaders, filmmakers, lawyers, media figures, and more shared their experiences and sought next steps to establish lasting change across industries and pay scales. Schipper's brief was to capture strong, impactful portrait images of the speakers participating in the TIME’S UP panel discussions. Participants included prominent contemporary actresses such as two-time Golden Globe Award winner Marisa Tomei, Oscar Award winner Julianne Moore, Sienna Miller ("American Sniper"), Primetime Emmy nominee Jurnee Smollett, Primetime Emmy Award winner Mariska Hargitay, activist Tarana Burke, and author Elaine Welteroth.

The portrait studio for the TIME’S UP event was a last-minute addition, demanding focused professionalism and considerable improvisation from Schipper. Finding a seamless flow between solo and group shots within tight time and lighting constraints presented a challenge, but Schipper and her team were well up to the task, adopting a minimalist approach to capture the authenticity and charisma of the featured panelists.

“TIME’S UP wanted something clean and simple so as to not distract from the personalities involved,” Schipper explained. “Working with these amazing people and being a part of something so important was incredible.”

In 2018, iconic fashion brand Calvin Klein hired Schipper to orchestrate a series of celebrity portraits backstage at their Fall Fashion Week, hosted at the New York Stock Exchange. The series boasts a plethora of entertainment A-listers, including supermodel Naomi Campbell, actress Kate Bosworth ("Blue Crush"), Oscar winner Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody), Oscar nominee Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park), and two-time Primetime Emmy nominee Millie Bobby Brown. The resulting portraits are simply stunning.

One would never guess that Schipper had to scramble to create this backstage shoot with virtually no prep time. Not only did she have to navigate the logistics of a high-pressure session in a tiny hallway corner, amidst each talent’s entourage, but she also had to devise a creative solution for the corridor’s unamenable artificial lighting.

“I had maybe a minute to get set up before people started arriving. It was one of the fastest scrambles to prep for a shoot I think I’ve ever had!” Schipper recounted, reliving the moment. “I had to work with what I had, so I used the black wall as a backdrop and bounced my flash off the white wall, creating a giant softbox effect.”

The improvised setup initially raised concern among some subjects, including model Naomi Campbell—no stranger to a photoshoot! But Schipper’s exceptional results and professionalism quickly spoke for themselves. “When Naomi Campbell came through I took one frame of her before she stopped me, citing the ugly overhead lighting,” Schipper recalled. “But I explained what I was doing with my setup, and then I showed her my shot, to which she replied, ‘Oh! That looks nice, keep going!’”

The Calvin Klein Portraits series was a resounding success for both the fashion brand and Schipper. The portraits have since been featured in Elle, People, W, GQ, Esquire, Teen Vogue, Pitchfork, and BET, to name a few. It remains among Schipper’s most memorable shoots to date, showcasing both her technical finesse and her intuitive artistry behind the lens.

“The most interesting thing about the Calvin Klein series was the technical challenge,” the photographer stated. “Most people who view them believe they were taken in a full studio setup, not a quick backstage shoot.”

A Future Focused on Creative Freedom

Schipper has gone on to photograph countless high-profile events in both the entertainment and political spheres, regularly shooting for the New York Women’s Foundation and the MS Foundation. These successes led to further work with prominent global organizations, including the Women in the World Summit, the United Nations Women for Peace Association, International Women’s Day at the United Nations headquarters, Michelle Obama’s Let Girls Learn global conference, and many more.

Having achieved so much already in the world of photography, we were eager to hear what's next for the lady behind the lens. “I’d love to shoot a magazine cover portrait, to do work where I have more creative freedom and have the ability to collaborate with other talented creatives,” Schipper shared. “There’s something special about being able to capture a moment in time. When people look at a photo it transports them back to that moment.”

Whatever Monica Schipper sets her focus on next, you can bet it's only a matter of time before her work is seen in publications everywhere.