Philip Sharkey, the eye behind celebrity passport photos: They came without assistants or makeup artists, they were simply themselves'

"There is a type of photograph that can disarm even the most photogenic subject: the passport photo. That small, nofrills portrait levels everyone anonymous and wellknown, rich and poor, beautiful and not so much. Everyone needs one at some point and submits to the same ritual: sitting up straight before the flash with an expression as neutral as the backdrop behind them."

"But with public figures, something strange happens. Accustomed as we are to seeing them dazzling and meticulously produced, gaining access to this tiny slice of their private selves feels like meeting them in their purest, most honest, most real form. We had like 800 celebrities [come by the studio]. Nobody had any makeup or PR people saying do this, do that.' They were simply themselves, says Philip Sharkey, 60, on a video call with EL PAIS."

"He was the last owner of Passport Photo Service, the London photo studio most frequented by the stars. This modest family business started by his father, former boxer David Sharkey opened its doors on busy Oxford Street back in 1953. Philip was born a minute's walk from the studio and started working there in 1973, at the age of 16. His memories of the shop are memories from an entire lifetime."

"When my brother and I were little, they would take us to the studio during school holidays. One day, Jean Paul Getty was there having his picture taken. My father said to me, This is the richest man in the world.' I was about eight years old. And I said, Why isn't he smiling? He looks very serious.' When he finished taking the pictures, my father encouraged me to wait on him in case he would give me a tip, but Paul Getty asked for the minimum of three photos and already had the exact amount of money ready to pay me."

Passport photos require subjects to sit upright, face a flash, and hold a neutral expression against a plain backdrop. This standardized process levels differences among people, making everyone look anonymous and similar regardless of status or appearance. Some individuals feel the result does not represent them, but public figures often reveal something unexpected because they are usually seen only in carefully produced, glamorous images. A London passport photo studio, opened in 1953 by David Sharkey and later run by Philip Sharkey, hosted many celebrities who came without makeup or publicists. The studio’s routine captured them simply as themselves, and Philip Sharkey shared memories of notable visitors, including Jean Paul Getty, who requested multiple photos and paid the exact amount in advance.

Read at english.elpais.com