Rankin tells budding photographers to 'be bold and have fun'

As one of the world’s most celebrated celebrity photographers, Rankin has shot everyone from Kate Moss to David Bowie to Michael Jackson.

Now he has revealed his top tips for others to take the perfect portrait.

The photographer, real name John Rankin Waddell, says it is important to be bold: “You can have a lot of fun with beauty … it is a very creative medium. The best beauty portraits are stimulating and challenging so don’t be afraid to be bold. And remember, it’s as much about your model’s idiosyncrasies as their so-called ‘perfections’.”

He recommends not spending too long on lighting as this can put your subject off, and to invest in a make-up artist if you can.

Rankin says personality and charisma are the most important things he looks for in a model, adding: “Aesthetics are much lower down on the priority list. Beauty is really subjective, but the best models have fantastic personalities.”

His final rule, he says, is to have fun. “One of my pet hates is when brands spend millions of pounds on a face and you can tell immediately that they don’t want to be there. It’s all in the eyes. They look bored.

“Choose people that are excited to be collaborating on something creative.”