From bodybuilders to Obama: How Martin Schoeller takes an 'honest' photograph

CNN

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Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Barack Obama–Celebrated portrait photographer Martin Schoeller has shot everyone from bodybuilders to politicians.

"I had seen (Obama's) speech at the Democratic convention shortly before, and (photographing him) was just what you would expect," Schoeller said of shooting Barack Obama in 2004. He would photograph him twice more.

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Donald Trump–"I want an off guarded moment. I try to make them forget that they're being photographed, at least for a split second, to find this kind of moment of vulnerability."

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Hillary Clinton–"Politicians are kind of posing, but they only have one pose. They don't spend quite as much time in front of the mirror contemplating their facial expressions."

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

LeBron James–"The easiest are athletes. They just run or jump or score, or kick a ball or hit a ball, so they don't spend any time studying their facial expressions."

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Brad Pitt–"Actors in general are difficult to shoot because they are always acting."

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Philip Seymour Hoffman–"You feel like 'Oh, this was an honest, great portrait' while you're photographing them... and then (I'm) looking at the contact sheets and I feel like, 'Oh my god, they were playing the whole time and I didn't even notice it.'"

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Britney Spears–"For a while I thought I could do fashion, which was a big misconception because I really don't care about clothes and I think as a fashion photographer you have to really love (it)."

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Katy Perry–"I do think all photographs lie. I don't think there is one picture that is really honest. You can't describe a person in a split second, but maybe in the grand scheme of photography, I think there are some pictures that are more honest than others, you know? So I'm trying to steer to the little bit more honest side of the spectrum," he said.

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Prince–Who would Schoeller most like to photograph?

"I would love to photograph the Pope. I don't go to church, but he's a very intriguing figure in our lives today."

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Bill Clinton–Originally from Munich, Germany, Schoeller studied photography atLette-Vereinin Berlin.

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Bill Clinton–Originally from Munich, Germany, Schoeller studied photography atLette-Vereinin Berlin.

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Sting–He developed his signature style while working as an assistant for Annie Leibovitz in the '90s.

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Robert De Niro–"When I was starting out, you were so limited at these press junkets. You only get 10 minutes with a person in a hotel room," he said.

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Angela Merkel–"People would wear something that I don't like, they would be in a setting I don't like. So reducing it just to the face, I could always walk away with something that was a good portrait in my mind -- no matter where, no matter when, no matter of whom."

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Meryl Streep–"I'm told I have an hour with Meryl Streep," Schoeller said. "So basically, she shows up, she's wearing her shirt, almost wears no makeup and she combs her hair, then it's done."

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Zach Galifianakis–Over the years, Schoeller has worked with some of pop cultures biggest names.

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Lady Gaga–"Lady Gaga, I had three hours with Lady Gaga, she took two hours and 45 minutes to get ready, so I was left with 15 with her after."

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

George Clooney–"I love working with George," Schoeller said. "He's charismatic, a very intelligent man, and, you know, walks to the beat of his own drum."

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Jeff Koons–"I put a crown of flowers on (Jeff Koons') head, which is a picture I love... He's more controlled because images are part of his job and how he presents himself. He's very careful about his public image, so it took a lot of time to talk him into my ideas."

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Micah–For one of his most recent projects, Schoeller photographed homeless people for the Greater West Hollywood Food Coalition as part of a fundraising effort.

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Monica–He interviewed each subject on his phone, and shared the images onInstagram.

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Lenda Murray–Schoeller's 2008 monograph focused on female bodybuilders.

"I was intrigued by the way they looked and by the question of why anyone would want to do this. I ended up photographing 66 of them."

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Fannie Barrios–"It's been 20 years that I've been taking these close up portraits and everybody in the same lighting, the same setting, the same angle, the same camera."

Photos:Martin Schoeller's celebrity portraits

Cureton Carmell–"Nobody is retouched... What you see is what you get."

(CNN)