
Adam Lambert photographed by Eric Schwabel for the Advocate
View the Advocate article and photos at http://news.advocate.com/post/11571958893/reinventing-adam-lambert
I had the great pleasure of working with Adam Lambert recently for this Advocate cover shoot, which came out today. This was one of the more unique shoot days I’ve ever experienced (on par with photographing Kirk Douglas at his home), as the Advocate wanted not just the set-up cover shot, but a number of candid photos of Adam going about his day. So, about 15 seconds after we were introduced, I was in his car, speeding through Hollywood, my crew following behind. We joked that it was a slightly awkward introduction, I met him, I’m in his car, I have a camera in his face. We both knew the job though and went about it, and snapped some pretty great shots, not all of which made it to publication.

Adam Lambert photographed by Eric Schwabel for the Advocate
Adam and I spent a bit of time chatting in the car between each location (and getting yelled at by a gas station manager for taking pictures — but I was able to calm him down…). It turned out we were both headed to Burning Man in a few weeks, so that was the main topic of discussion.
I shot the candids on my Nikon D7000, with the occasional reflector fill.
Our final location was the recording studio where Adam was preparing his latest single and album (this is his official 2nd album, dropping in Q1 2012, the single, I’m told is coming out in November). We set up a few shots in the studio but ultimately opted for the outdoor location for the cover shot, which made me a happy camper – I love photographing mixed light outdoor situations, and the grounds of the studio seemed to match Adam’s vibe for this new album.
The studio shots were all shot on my Mamiya with the DM28 digital back – very similar to the setup I used at Burning Man.
Adam was a gracious host to myself and my crew (a few asked for autographs when we were done), very focused on getting the shots and trusting both our teams to get it done. I have to thank Adam and his team for their help, and also to Advocate Creative Director Scott McPherson and Editor Michael Breen.
Adam Lambert photographed by Eric Schwabel at Real Raw Live

Adam Lambert photographed by Eric Schwabel