The photograph here comes from Martin Schoeller’s series titled, "Close Up". Working with a medium format camera, Kino Flos light banks, and a very shallow depth of field he creates these richly textured, extremely intimate photographs. He captures the expression he is looking for by emphasizing the eyes and lips, and keeping everything else secondary. Martin perfected this approach to close-up portraiture through a lot of time and energy spent photographing friends and family at first, and then anyone willing to stand in front of a shower curtain outside a Lower East Side deli. Family, friends, homeless people, crack victims — there was nobody famous involved in the beginning.

See the whole portrait series:

Martin Schoeller is a New York based photographer whose style is distinguished by similar treatment of all subjects whether they are celebrities or unknown. His most recognizable work are his portraits, shot with similar lighting, backdrop, and tone. His work appears in The New Yorker, Outside Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, GQ, Esquire, and Vogue. More...