Celebrities are typically in front of the lens, but many actors, singers, athletes, and world-renowned creatives double as photographers, too. In this article, we’ll spotlight 11 of the myriad celebrities who get creative behind the lens. We’ll include details on how they got started and how you can find inspiration in their work.
Celebrities Who Are Photographers
1. Jeff Bridges
Jeff Bridges has long been a Hollywood staple, with roles in everything from The Big Lebowski to Tron and True Grit. When he’s not acting—or winning Academy Awards—Bridges gets creative with photography. He’s known for eye-popping Widelux panoramas that bring the behind-the-scenes of Hollywood to life. You can peruse images on his photography website or in his book Pictures. The latter includes imagery of fellow actors on the job, including Meryl Streep, Robert Duvall, Olivia Wilde, and Matt Damon. He relies on his signature Widelux F8 to bring these immersive scenes to life.
2. Jessica Lange
You likely know Jessica Lange from her roles in American Horror Story, Cape Fear, or her film debut, King Kong. She’s won Academy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award—not to mention Golden Goble and Screen Actors Guild awards. Yet that’s not where her creative work ends. Lange is also an accomplished Leica photographer and the author of multiple photography books, including Highway 61. Lange is renowned for her black-and-white photography. She first dabbled into the visual world to capture memories with her children. After 15 years of experimentation, she shared her work with the world via 50 Photographs, published in 2008, which features global photography from Mexico, Russia, Africa, and beyond.
3. Bryan Adams
Rock star Bryan Adams wowed the world with hit songs; “Straight from the Heart,” “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You,” and “Summer of ’69.” When he’s not on stage—or selling hundreds of millions of records and nabbing a title as one of the best-selling musical artists of all time—Adams also dabbles into photography. Adams has worked on everything from fashion to music imagery to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to photograph Queen Elizabeth II during the Golden Jubilee in 2002. His work is documented in several books. Homeless documents those living and working on the streets of London. Wounded: The Legacy of War, features imagery of British soldiers who suffered severe injuries during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Rumor has it Adams uses the Fujifilm GFX 100S.
4. Randy Johnson
Former Major League Baseball star and Hall of Famer Randy Johnson is regarded as one of the best pitchers of all time. He played for nearly two dozen seasons with the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks, but his career in the sports world didn’t end with his MLB retirement in 2010. Johnson has made a name for himself as a top sideline photographer for the NFL. According to SB Nation, photography “was Johnson’s first love.” He turned out to excel at baseball, so he pursued that path, but he found his way back into photography after. In addition to NFL photography, he’s also a remarkable wildlife and travel photographer. Johnson relies on Canon, particularly the Canon EOS R3, but he also has a film camera and Pentax 67 in his kit.
5. Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore has done just about everything; she’s a beloved actress, a talk-show host, and the founder of the cosmetics brand FLOWER Beauty. She’s also the photographer behind the book Find It In Everything: Photographs by Drew Barrymore. This book includes a personal collection of portraits of heart-shaped objects with captions that detail her reflections on daily life. Barrymore’s work has also been displayed at the International Center of Photography in NYC. According to the Drewseum fan page, she’s been using a Pentax K100 film camera since 2000.
6. Lenny Kravitz
Rock legend Lenny Kravitz is praised for his unique blend of rock, funk, soul, reggae, and R&B—but his creativity extends well beyond the stage. And we’re not just talking about his acting, including his role in the Hunger Games film series. Kravitz has followed in his father’s footsteps as a talented and successful photographer. Kravitz received his first camera from his father in his 20s. He has achieved multiple feats, including an exhibit at the Skylight Modern event venue in NYC and the Flash exhibit at the Leica Gallery in LA. He’s a Leica photographer through and through. In 2019, he designed a faux python skin camera with Leica with only 125 models available for purchase.
7. Tabitha Soren
Tabitha Soren made a name for herself as a reporter for MTV News, ABC News, and NBC News in the 1990s. However, she transitioned out of the news world and into the visual arts industry. She’s since had her work published in Vanity Fair, The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and McSweeney’s. She started with a Hasselblad film camera and now uses various tools based on the assignment’s needs. These included the 8×10 large-format camera used in her “Surface Tension” exhibit in Oakland. Her images have also been part of exhibitions everywhere, from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to the New Orleans Museum of Art. She initially dabbled into photojournalism work, then went on to explore fine art photography. You can view her latest work and many career updates on her portfolio site or Instagram.
8. Kendall Jenner
Kendall Jenner has made headlines for all sorts of things, but the model, media personality, businesswoman, and socialite has another title up her stylish sleeve: photographer. In an interview on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Jenner shared her love for the craft and the story behind the cover photos she captured for Love Magazine. (You can view the cover images here.) She even showed the audience her Contax T-Series camera on the Fallon set. Another Jenner photography project: Photographing the Met Gala in 2018 and 2021.
9. Kevin Durant
Award-winning NBA legend Kevin Durant is another athlete who’s shown his skill behind the lens, too. He displayed his talent during Super Bowl 50 in 2016 when he worked as a credentialed sideline photographer with the help of his handy Canon 7D. He captured not just the Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers face-off but also Beyonce’s rave-worthy halftime performance.
10. Moby
With over 20 million records sold, you know Moby’s music. Songs like “Feeling So Real,” “Move (You Make Me Feel So Good),” and his Billboard Hot 100 hit “South Side,” featuring Gwen Stefani. Beyond music—and his work as an animal rights activist—Moby is also an acclaimed photographer. Architectural Digest featured a gallery of his design photography work, and he also displayed his work via photography shows in NYC and the Brooklyn Museum. According to an interview in The Photographic Journal, Moby’s uncle was a photographer for The New York Times. Moby began experimenting with photography himself at ten years old when his uncle gifted him a Nikon F, and he continues to experiment with the craft to this day.
11. Henry Winkler
The Fonz has long been a household name, but Henry Winkler has more than onscreen skills. Behind the camera, Winkler captures his favorite adventures, from the great outdoors to local bites. Fly fishing, in particular, is his go-to hobby. His 2013 best-selling book I’ve Never Met An Idiot On The River: Reflections On Family, Photography, and Fly-Fishing showcases his life as an angler, creator, and family man. Learn more about his creative journey, particularly his Hollywood roles, in Being Henry: The Fonz…, which debuted in October 2023. According to NY Mag, Winkler uses the Sony A6000 Mirrorless Camera with a 16-50mm retractable lens.
