From Modelto Photographer

F rom 1984 until 1998, Scott Del Amo was an international model and actor working for such designers as Valentino, Christian Dior and Armani. He was also featured in more than 100 European and American television commercials. In 1996, he became interested in photography and tested his skills on his model friends. Soon he was working as a unit photographer in movies as well as branching out into editorial work for such publications as German Vogue, London Sunday Times and Empire.

The Hollywood Entertainment Museum is presenting the first exhibit of Del Amo’s work: “Scott Del Amo: Star Fantasies.” The exhibition, which continues through Oct. 28, features 23 black-and-white photographs of such celebrities as Jack Lemmon, Charlton Heston, Lauren Bacall, Woody Allen and Kelsey Grammer.

The Los Angeles-based Del Amo, 41, recently discussed his craft.

Question: How did you make the transition from model to photographer?

Answer: I have always admired the beauty of sunsets and people and smells and tastes of food. I am a very visual and sensual kind of person, but I never ever thought I’d become a photographer. In college, I took a couple of classes. I got A’s in them, but those were things to do for fun. I started realizing that my modeling career was going to come to an end pretty soon because of the age thing, and I was getting tired of traveling and I didn’t want to go to the gym any more. I was in London and I got chicken pox. I was 35 years old. I was in bed two weeks. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it. I asked my girlfriend whom I was staying with in London to buy me a camera. While I was sitting in bed I started reading on how to be a photographer. [When I was well], I went back to Greece, where I was officially living, and I started shooting the models in the hotel where we lived. I went to my agent, who also handled photographers. They told me I had the eye for it and to keep pursuing it. So I just kept shooting models. I came back to L.A. about six months later and started banging on doors and people started giving me work.

Q: You began your photographic career as a unit photographer on movies.

A: It wasn’t easy [to get jobs], but I did get work. Then I started getting hired to do one-sheets and movie posters. [I did the unit photography on] “Selena,” “Picking Up the Pieces,” a Woody Allen film. Then I just realized that unit photography was too political. People had been doing it for too many years. You don’t have to be a great photographer to do unit photography. So I decided to take a chance and stop doing all of that and try to break into the editorial market. I got myself an agent and German Vogue started hiring me to do all of their stuff. Then I have a whole bunch of magazines in London who have hired me. But I stillhaven’t worked in America. My agent is from London, and she doesn’t have any clout here. She went to New York and she did get me the MTV 20th anniversary special. She can’t even get meetings. [American magazines] want the big names and the big names are with the big agents and the big agents don’t want to work on getting a photographer developed any more.

Q: How do you work with actors? Do you come up with ideas for photos before the shoot?

A: Starting with unit photography and doing one-sheets on the set, you realize you are going to be there all day and you are going to get five or 10 minutes with [the actors] and you are going to shoot as much film as you possibly can. What I have learned to do is not to plan anything and just wait until I get to the situation, like with Kelsey Grammer in his home in Maui. I flew over there and I had set up this great elaborate shoot for sunset. We were going to do this great Rolling Stone-type cover. I had hired surfboards and we made this beautiful set at the hotel. But he didn’t come. He was with the interviewer and they went too late, so when they did call [when the interview had finished], the sun was almost completely down. We scrapped that whole idea. We went up to his house [the next day] and started shooting around the house. I found it is not better to plan anything and just go and see what’s available. What I always try to do for myself is--after I have done what I need to do for a magazine--to get a portraiture because I figure I have one shot to bring something out of these people for me that is going to be special. I want them to autograph these. Then I want to give them to Children’s Hospital [in Los Angeles] when I have enough and raise money for the hospital. What I did with Kelsey is I said, “Go by your pool and show me the other side of Kelsey.” We popped a roll and we got a great shot.

Q: What was it like shooting Lauren Bacall?

A: I went to do unit and the one-sheet in Majorca for “The Turn of the Screw.” She was only in the movie, I guess, for about 10 days. When she showed up [on the set] I was standing in the doorway. The whole set went quiet. She walked up to me and said, “Are you the photographer?” I said yes and she said, “Good.” I knew then we were gong to get along because she liked the way I looked. She told me later that she thought I was quite handsome and reminded her of someone. I posed her in a chair. She said to me, “I’m very tired.” I said, “Don’t worry. It’ll take five minutes.” And it took five minutes and I got a great black-and-white portraiture of her.

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“Scott Del Amo: Star Fantasies,” continues through Oct. 28 at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum, 7021 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. The exhibit is on view daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesdays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. General admission, $7.50; seniors and students (I.D. required), $4.50; children age 5 to 12, $4; museum members and children under 5 are free.