Dov Charney for The Globe and Mail

All Images © Emily Shur

Here is a recently published story I shot for The Globe and Mail on American Apparel founder and CEO, Dov Charney.  We shot on September 23rd at the American Apparel factory in downtown Los Angeles.  Most people’s reaction to the fact that I photographed Dov was “Ew.”  I’d heard plenty of unflattering rumors about him, but I have to say that he was an interesting and actually pretty charming guy.  I could see how his demeanor could possibly get him into trouble, but to me it seemed more like harmless trouble rather than multi-million-dollar-scandal trouble.  Either way, it wasn’t my job to judge Dov Charney…my job was to take his picture, which was no small feat in itself.  He was difficult to pin down for a shoot date and time, and then once that had happened, it still seemed iffy as to whether or not the shoot was actually going to happen.  Although once he showed up he was friendly, giving, and excited about taking pictures.  So, hey…that’s all I can ask for, right?  I’ve had much less and much worse from much “easier” subjects.

Part of what makes me want to continue photographing celebrities and/or notable people is that certain very successful people are fascinatingly and likably flawed.  We’re all flawed, but fame and success are revered to no end in the world today, and sometimes it’s just plain interesting to see a seemingly untouchable person’s vulnerability.  I think it would be wrong to exploit this in anyone – famous or not – but it is a part of what makes people human.  I think the public needs to realize that famous people, rich people, and beautiful people are ultimately just like them…imperfect.

This also came up for me when I finally saw The Social Network a couple weeks ago.  The movie was excellent.  One of the best movies I’ve seen all year for sure. I photographed Mark Zuckerberg for Wired Magazine in 2007 and attempted to shoot him again for Time Magazine this year.  The second shoot didn’t work out for a number of reasons, but I did spend a day at the Facebook offices and shot what I could.  When I photographed Mark in 2007, he was pretty serious, pretty skeptical, and I’m sure very busy.  He didn’t strike me as a jerk.  He seemed like a very smart, slightly awkward guy who had both the fortune and misfortune of becoming extraordinarily successful at a very young age.

All people have strengths and weaknesses.  Some are just made more public than others.