Her work was recently on view in a group show called Face to Face: Portraits of Artists by Tacita Dean, Brigitte Lacombe and Catherine Opie at the International Center of Photography in New York. It showcased some of her best black-and-white portraits—thoughtful shots of New York icons like Joan Didion and Fran Lebowitz. It also showcased her work as a film-set photographer, as she has worked on Martin Scorsese film sets for over 25 years, from The Wolf of Wall Street to The Departed, and more.

The photographer has had museum exhibitions at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, and her photo book oeuvre includes Lacombe Cinema/Theater, from 2001, a portrait book of celebrities, including shots of Leonardo DiCaprio, John Malkovich, and Diane Keaton. A documentary about Lacombe’s life and work was released in 2019, called Brigitte, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. 

Lacombe speaks about her early days as a press photographer, shooting the stars, and the first time she visited Hollywood.  

Penta: How did you arrive in the U.S., after living in Paris?

Brigitte Lacombe: I was living and working in Paris, working for magazines at the beginning of my career. I met Dustin Hoffman at the Cannes Film Festival and photographed him there. He invited me to come and shoot on the set of his next movie, which was All the President’s Men. They were shooting in Washington, D.C. I was on the set, and they were going to Los Angeles to shoot in a studio. My mentor had a family there, so I stayed with them. It was my first time in California. That was 1975. I stayed for three months and got to know the film scene. I met Steven Spielberg and Brian de Palma. Everyone knew each other in Hollywood. 

Was this the first time you shot on film sets, correct? What a peculiar job, very behind-the-scenes.

Yes. You’re not documenting from the point of view of the film camera. Set photography is different. I would be invited by a filmmaker or an actor or the film studios and develop the relationship. With director Martin Scorsese, it became a real friendship, and I have been working on his projects for 25 years. I would visit his sets several times for specific scenes. I’m almost part of the team with his films, even though I’m not. I’m welcome at the invitation of the director.

You also do portraiture, and you’ve shot a lot of your friends. Have there been any highlights of your career?

I love what I do, and I shoot every day. I love the reportage part because there’s diversity. You don’t have any control in the situation: You come in, and you adapt yourself to that situation. You find your way within that, as opposed to portrait photography. As I do portraiture, I control everything from the location to the light to the mood, and the music, and who is in the room. I start shooting and it becomes a collaboration with the person I’m photographing.

Was it hard breaking into photography as a woman in the 1970s?

For me, it might have been an advantage. I was one of the first women photographers around. I stood out. I was also extremely lucky in the first important meetings I had. I was open to jumping on location. I came to the U.S. to work on a movie set where I didn’t know anyone. I jumped at the opportunity. I’m still like that. I’m ready and open to some new offers. A job, a place to go, whatever. It’s a combination of being a woman and being ready for any experience, in a way. That’s my life.

You’ve shot public figures like Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Marc Jacobs, and Margaret Atwood. What is the essence of a good portrait?

I let people be themselves. That’s the essence of a good portrait. People I have photographed are all extraordinary people. One of the most extraordinary I’ve ever shot is
Nelson Mandela.
Meryl, who I first shot 35 years ago, became a friend. Every person is different, that’s part of the attraction to me. That’s how I can keep doing it. It’s not repetitive. Each portrait is a new person. I seek out my subjects myself because I’m interested in them and their work. I’m meeting people I’m interested in.

Where is your studio in New York City and what makes it special?

I have a studio I use for portraits when people come by themselves. It’s in the Lower East Side in downtown Manhattan. It’s in a historic building and it’s a north-facing studio with classic light. It’s not for a big shoot. It’s a small place with great light. It’s basically shoots for no specific purpose but I want to do a portrait of them. I invite them. It’s not where someone comes with a stylist, hair, and makeup, and all that. It’s a sitting portrait in a studio. But when I do big shoots, I rent a bigger studio. But I make a mock studio everywhere I go in the world—whether it’s a corner in a museum or anywhere in the world, I’m doing portraits. It’s easier in my studio, than anywhere else. 

What’s your favorite arrondissement in Paris?

I love Paris. I have a place in the seventh arrondissement in the left bank of Paris. So, I know that area best. I go back very often. I love the beauty of the city, its history. It’s a different scale than New York. I have traveled all my life, I travel nine months out of the year. For Paris, it’s my place. No matter how long I have been away, Paris is my place. It’s a place I love to come back to.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.