A Reckoning

When Interview Magazine called me to Sean Combs in 1995, I was happy for an assignment from them, but they also assured me that this label head was on his way to being a big deal.

We set up in a midtown Manhattan hotel, and when he was running over an hour late, I called the contact person and they assured me he was on his way. He eventually arrived, with his infant son Justin, still in diapers, in tow.

We took pictures of them together in the bathtub, against a four foot seamless, and then went to Central Park for a set up of Combs lying on the green grass a white suit (which was his idea).

Combs was arrogant, but he also came with good concepts, which is rare for a photo subject. He not only understood the show business aspect of music, but thought visually, which I appreciated.

We worked together again less than a year later for The Source magazine. We did some clean cover shots in a Manhattan studio, and then met up the next day in Bridgehampton on Long Island, the place where he famously held his White Parties.

The tide was slowly coming in and out of the bay, and I saw an opportunity with some rocks that were peeking through. I suggested this scenario to Puffy, but he dismissed it as uninteresting. I sent my assistant out to pose for a quick Polaroid to show him, and then Sean agreed to do it.

We shot a couple of other setups in his home, including some of him nude at the bottom of a shower, wrapped in only a small towel. Once again, he was a creative collaborator, but our patience with each other was running thin, and by the end of the shoot, he was mostly just giving me the middle finger.

At the time, I was disappointed that I was not invited to his fancy parties, as I considered myself an up and coming talent, but now I’m relieved I did not make the cut.

Top Image: The woman in the shot is someone that he was dating, and she walked out there just to say hello. I said, “Hey, put your arm on her shoulder.” He did this pose for one frame and then asked that we move on.

Second Image: Sean with son Justin, for Interview Magazine, shot September 1996.

Third Image: I asked the magazine for creative direction and they said that the cover needed to have “Sourc-itude.” Not sure if we captured that. Sean wanted an homage to Walter Iooss’s class portrait of Michael Jordan.

Bottom Image: Sean Combs, Bridgehampton, NY, July 1997.