For over 5 decades Ron Galella, the most illustrious paparazzo in America, captured the world’s movers and shakers using his iconic off-guard approach to photojournalism. Now he puts pen to paper, exposing his remarkable ascent into the world of glitz and glam. Dubbed “paparazzo extraordinaire” by Newsweek Magazine, Ron Galella was once punched in the jaw by Marlon Brando, roughed up by Richard Burton’s bodyguards and sued by Jackie Onassis. His camera was focused on the best of them. The famous, the soon to be famous, the talented, the extraordinary. Actors, athletes, musicians, politicians, the rich and powerful, the beautiful and exotic – all those at the pinnacle of popular culture.

His creative technique elevated the free-form freelance approach of fine art photography and demystified celebrities by catching them as they are. Ron was thrilled to learn that Grammy award winning, singer, actor and record producer, Lenny Kravitz was inspired by his unique off-guard style of photography. While promoting his high end Dom Perignon champagne brand, Kravitz revealed to People Magazine and the Hollywood Reporter, “I was very much inspired by this book of Studio 54 photographs by Ron Galella who shot all those wonderful shots of the New York nightlife and so I wanted it to be natural lighting, inside, in the dark, with a flash. What I love about those shots is you had all of these very interesting people gathering from street culture – socialites, artists, actors, actresses, musicians – and he captured everything with his camera and flash.”

Published: 2019