Models, Muses and Memories: Photographer Arthur Elgort Gets His Closeup Courtesy of His Filmmaking Son

If you’ve ever seen an eye-catching magazine cover with a famous celebrity, a gorgeous supermodel or even a cowboy in Wyoming, chances are it was probably photographed by Arthur Elgort. The Southampton resident has been snapping candid photos of everyone from Taylor Swift to Mikhail Baryshnikov since 1971. If you hate getting your picture taken, Elgort will somehow find a way to make you dance and skip and jump for the camera. But what happens when the man behind the lens has it turned around on him?

You can find out this weekend at the Hamptons International Film Festival with the world premiere of “Arthur Elgort: Models & Muses,” which will be shown on Friday, October 10, at the East Hampton Regal theater and again on Saturday, October 11, at the Southampton Playhouse. This 83-minute documentary features interviews with luminaries from the fashion world talking about how Elgort’s photography style gave a new perspective for every model, designer and superstar in print. The likes of Anna Wintour, Linda Evangelista and others chat over archival snaps and footage of Arthur Elgort’s life behind the camera.

And who better to take the photographer out of his comfort zone than his own son? “Arthur Elgort: Models & Muses” is directed by Warren Elgort, someone whose own life was well-documented by his dad. As Warren says, maybe too well-documented.

“His space is always covered in photographs,” Warren Elgort said in a recent phone interview. “I’m so used to seeing all of these photos of me as a child, sometimes I can’t tell whether my mind is playing tricks on me and whether I really remember being there or whether I imagined an experience to go with the photograph. It’s incredible to have my life documented by one of the great photographers of our time.”

This is the younger Elgort’s first feature film, having made numerous short films in the past and receiving his MFA from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He said that his film thesis at USC was a short documentary and, realizing how interesting his dad was and wanting to spend more time with him, decided to start gathering his own family footage and Arthur Elgort’s archival reels to create a narrative.

Another reason for doing the documentary was more personal: Arthur Elgort suffered a stroke around 2009, which forced him to relearn how to talk and move the right side of his body. Then in 2021, the famed photographer was diagnosed with lymphoma.

“I realized that he’s not gonna be here with me forever,” Elgort added. “I thought that I better take advantage of the time I have with him and make something that lasts forever. Maybe his grandkids will feel like they have a chance to know him through this film. It felt for a little while like I was never gonna finish this project because I would love to go on and on forever and ever.”

Though Elgort chose the path of filmmaking instead of photography, he admits that he follows his dad’s style of always having a camera ready to capture the little spontaneous moments in life. That’s not just a skill, but part of Arthur Elgort’s own personality that his son described as “full of joy.”

“You wouldn’t even know photography was his job,” Elgort explained. “He’s so down-to-earth and there’s an ease by which he invites you into the photograph that you don’t even realize that you’re getting your picture taken, and then it’s over before you know it. He has the fastest hands in fashion, and a great sense of humor. It was always so much fun.”

Despite his freewheeling nature when photographing others, Elgort says that his 85-year-old dad didn’t think he was worthy of being on the other side of the lens.

“A lot of the time I would point the camera at him and he’d say, ‘What are you doing? I’m not interesting,’” Elgort said.

Judging by his work, nothing could be farther from the truth. Born in 1940, Arthur Elgort’s first taste of artistic craft was studying painting at Hunter College before jumping into photography. That lit a spark in him, and he worked on his craft to an impressive degree before debuting in British Vogue in 1971.

From there, Arthur Elgort’s photography style took him from Water Mill to Thailand and almost everywhere in between. He’s photographed musicians for album covers, models ready for the runway and even skaters grinding in front of the Eiffel Tower. No matter the setting or the subject, Arthur Elgort finds a way to capture images with energy and personality to them.

Now for those wondering whether or not “Models & Muses” is about Arthur Elgort’s life or his craft, Warren Elgort said the documentary is meant to showcase both. He credits editor Anne Goursaud for helping him find the mix between showing his father’s skills and talking about his life.

“That was something we really had to balance,” he explained. “We were able to balance being a fly on the wall in his home and his backyard. You do get to see behind the curtain. I didn’t want it to be an informational documentary about a famous fashion photographer. I wanted it to encapsulate his character. No doubt, I expect people will learn more about his photography from this, but I hope that people are more inspired by his character and the way he sees the world.”

Elgort noted the little things he learned about his dad while he was on the job. He found that Arthur Elgort was “really encouraging life and freshness and joy” from whoever he was photographing. Elgort admits that he employed bits of that philosophy in his own work.

“A lot of the time, especially with documentary filmmaking, you can get a great performance if you don’t make a huge deal about what’s going on,” he said. “I try to walk in the door with the camera rolling. [Arthur’s] famous line of, ‘Camera ready,’ in that he always has his camera on him, was at the forefront of this film. I was hoping that the film would mirror his style of photography, and I do think a lot of the subjects come across as really relaxed, and I’m proud of that.”

Arthur Elgort has been supporting his son’s journey as a filmmaker for a long time. Elgort said his father gave him a Bolex Reflex 16 millimeter camera and a Sony handycam to train his filmmaking eye. Though it was tough to get Arthur Elgort to come out of his shell, Warren says the documentary connected with his father.

“He’s very emotional,” Elgort explained. “When he watches movies, he cries. Even if it’s a cheesy movie. He felt really good about it and it just brought up more memories. It was interesting that making this film became such an organic experience.”

As for Elgort’s own feelings on his documentary?

“I think I’m gonna know more after the Hamptons screening,” he said. “I still look at it and say, ‘Oh I should fix this and change that.’ At some point my dad started thinking that I was pulling his leg because, he was like, ‘This is ridiculous, this is the last one I’m doing. He’s tricking me!’ He’s used to this happening really quickly and not used to having to go back and go through hundreds of hours of footage.

“But I wanted to get this one right because it’s about my dad and I wanted to make sure I did that justice.”

“Arthur Elgort: Models & Muses” screens at the East Hampton Regal UA theater on Friday, October 10, at 5:45 p.m. and at the Southampton Playhouse on Saturday, October 11, at 5:30 p.m. Attendees will also experience a Q&A segment after both screenings with Arthur Elgort, director Warren Elgort, producer Emma Elgort and other special guests. For tickets, visit hamptonsfilmfest.org.