Before the Oscar night of 2013, the Vanity Fair photography director, Susan White, approached Mark Seliger with an intriguing proposal. Seliger was one of the most in-demand portrait photographers in the world, famed for his pictures of everyone from Jerry Seinfeld to Brad Pitt and Julianne Moore.

The Vanity Fair party was equally well established on Oscar night, as much a part of the event as the golden statuettes and overlong speeches. But the photography until then had stuck to the traditional formula: dark shots of stars mid-party, clutching Champagne and laughing.

Now the editors had another idea: Seliger would set up a little studio backstage at the party itself, almost like a souped-up version of the kinds of photo booths you get at weddings. Seliger could nab the stars as they arrived, for a shoot that might only last a matter of minutes, before they went off to enjoy the rest of their night. The result would be perfectly suited for Instagram, the photo-sharing network that had recently been bought by Facebook for $1 billion.

‘It was uncharted waters,’ says Seliger, 64, over Zoom from his office. ‘I didn’t think I’d be doing it more than a couple of seasons. I was destroyed by the first year, it was so intense: a seven-hour window to shoot 100 portraits.

‘But the first year we did it I had 1,500 followers and woke up with 30,000,’ he says. ‘It was a realisation of how hungry people were for this instantaneous gratification. And for me it was great because I do much better with purpose than just going to a party.’

As the reputation of the shoot grew, stars began to queue up for their turn. And now, after a decade, Seliger has collected some of his favourite shots into a book, which chronicles Hollywood’s biggest stars on one of the biggest nights of their lives, win or lose.

‘The quality of people we’ve been able to work with is remarkable,’ he says. ‘Costume directors, designers, directors, directors of photography, people that write the scores, actors and their spouses, some that are still together, some that aren’t. And people who have since died.’

As well as the highlights included here, he’s shot everyone from Joni Mitchell and Angelica Huston to Martin Scorsese, Steve Martin and Judd Apatow. ‘Robert de Niro came in one year. He was a little on the shy side, but I found a way to make him laugh – he has a recognisable laugh, whether it’s the smirk and crazy laugh of Taxi Driver or the laugh from Meet the Fockers.

‘[In the book] I think we did a good job of including the mainstream stars but also some of the peripheral people who are important in the way they support film. It’s a lot of work to make films. It’s not for the meek or the tender-hearted. You have to put blood, sweat and tears into it.’

If it’s onerous being an actor, it’s no picnic taking pictures of them, either. ‘I typically don’t lift my head up for four hours,’ he says. ‘The tequila comes out afterwards.’

Here, Seliger shares Oscar-night memories…

Lady Gaga, 2019

The Oscar-winners come at the end of the night. They’re making the rounds and find their way to us. It’s a real highlight because they come in and there is such a sense of joy. It’s an exuberant moment for them, having this accolade. I had photographed Lady Gaga three times before and had always had a good time with her, but she walked in with this incredible ear-to-ear smile. It was so real. You can’t help but share that moment. It was life-affirming.

Idris Elba, 2019

I’d worked on a cover story with him before. Idris is pure performance. The camera loves him. He can just walk in and you point it at him. He’s incredible. When people come to you they’re not only in a celebratory mood, ready to let their hair down, but they’re dressed and groomed and ready to go, so they’re pretty easy on the eyes.

Olivia Colman, 2019

This is one of those grand moments. It’s very regal. You could really feel her spirit and the emotion around having this experience. We decided to push it to this more introspective moment. They’re not always easy to find. There’s also an art to someone holding a prop: how do you create space for your subject but also this iconic statue? We were always tinkering: where does it feel like it’s too intrusive, and where does it feel like it’s natural that someone would connect with it?

Billie Eilish, 2020

I’d never worked with Billie Eilish before but she was great. This [shot] is probably one of my favourites. She’s an artist of great dimensions.

Scarlett Johansson, 2020

I’ve worked with Scarlett a couple of times and I have always been a big fan. I pretty much love anything that she does. We found a composition that was not so obvious: it’s a moment where we’re in Scarlett’s world. She’s always relaxed, a joy to be around. A kind human being.

Cast of Euphoria, 2022

This was a beautiful moment with the cast [l-r: Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Barbie Ferreira]. Everybody was devastated when Angus passed away. [He died of an accidental drug overdose in July, aged 25.] He was an amazing, gentle guy, just at the beginning of his life. We had the book printed and a month later he was gone. That’s part of the journey when you are documenting over a period of time. Not only do careers ebb and flow, but people come and go. It’s important to be able to celebrate the lives they lived. 

Austin Butler, 2023

This is another of my favourite photographs. It’s an example of how a picture can tell the story of what’s happening on the night. Austin had had a terrific year – he didn’t win the Oscar for his performance in the Elvis movie, but he was obviously very celebrated. Despite not winning, he came in and he was so enthusiastic about performing for us and making a great portrait. I gave him a bit of direction, but let him drive it.

Melissa McCarthy, 2019

I have a broad range with how I work with people. We can do the more dramatic portrait, but also play with the imagery a bit. The idea of this picture [with McCarthy’s husband Ben Falcone] was to try something that had a wink to it. We played out a scene about how they were angry I was trying to take their picture. I fed them a line and they reacted to it. 

Vanity Fair: Oscar Night Sessions by Mark Seliger (Abrams, £60) is out on Thursday; books.telegraph.co.uk