Celebrity Photographer Gets Comfortable With the Stars

For photographer Amy Cantrell, making her subjects comfortable is the best way to get them to open up--especially when the subjects are some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities. Cantrell, a free-lance photographer whose work has been featured on the covers of more than 75 issues of the magazine “Beverly Hills (213),” is showing many of her favorite photographs at the Vis a Vis Gallery in Redondo Beach through May 6.

The show, “Celebrity Portraits,” features famous Hollywood names such as Jane Wyman, James Earl Jones, George Burns and Dom DeLuise, in serious, straightforward portraits and also in some humorous poses.

Cantrell says her calm personality allows her subjects to relax and sometimes ham it up. “I let (the stars) do what they want, and they give me themselves,” she said.

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After the formal cover shots are taken, many stars have let Cantrell continue to take pictures. In some of the photos on display, Cantrell has captured screen and television actor Eddie Albert hanging out on a swing set with his family; actor James Coburn in a moment of horror, and actor James Earl Jones with his wife, actress Cecilia Hart, in a suggestive pose. “I didn’t tell them to do that,” Cantrell said.

“Celebrity Portraits” can be seen at the gallery, 602 N. Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Information: (310) 318-9090.