Portrait of the Artist

摘要

Known for his acclaimed images of world leaders, photographer Platon has a knack for bringing out the human side of powerhouses like Barack Obama, Muammar Gadhafi, and Vladimir Putin. So working with tech titans wasn't much of a stretch. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer arrived on set "like John Wayne walking into a saloon," says Platon, whose work has been featured in The New Yorker and Vanity Fair. "So the first thing I said to him was 'I am not afraid of or intimidated by you.' And once I said this, he was mine." Ironically, Platon claims he is "the least technical person on the planet" (he uses a 1990s-era Hasselblad 555ELD). While photographing Instagram cofounder Kevin Systrom, he received a much-appreciated private tutorial on the photo-sharing service. See Platon's portraits on page 144.