Marc Hauser Portraits, Chicago

Marc Hauser’s photographic expertise started as a 13-year-old freshman at New Trier High School, when the Wilmette native launched his boyhood hobby into adulthood with an apprenticeship under Playboy-contributing photographer Stan Malinowski. When one of the magazine's art directors visited Stan's studio, he noticed Marc's prints on the table and turned to Stan and asked, "Would your assistant like to go to California next week and shoot Carly Simon?" From there, notable assignments began to sprout, including John Mellencamp in a muddy field for his cover of Scarecrow and Led Zeppelin in a construction site in London.

Marc's style aims to capture subjects in their natural state—such as shooting family members while they're distracted and talking to each other. He often goes to great lengths to capture a unique photograph, such as speaking in funny voices to amuse kids, and barking to get dogs' attention. Above all else, he makes sure his clients feel comfortable so he can focus on getting the right shots, creating unique and striking images captured using simple parameters: shooting in black and white, with one light or natural light, around a table in his studio.

This approach to portraiture has earned Marc more than 100 awards, including Clios for advertising and a Grammy, and has landed him jobs with Rolling Stone, PepsiCo, Artista Records, and Microsoft, as well as acclaim for his images of well-known figures such as Aaron Copland, Mariel Hemingway, Michael Jordan, Dr. Timothy Leary, Sophia Loren, Patty Smith, Woody Allen, and John Waters.