NEED TO KNOW
Photographer Greg Brennan told CNN that his famous 2007 photo of Kate Moss was misconstrued in the media
“I read all sorts of nonsense,” he said
Brennan shared the real story behind the snapshot
Photographer Greg Brennan is sharing the real story behind his famous 2007 snapshot of Kate Moss.
In an interview with CNN to promote his new book The Big Shot, Brennan reflects on the iconic photo and what the public got wrong about it.
The image, taken on the model’s 33rd birthday, shows Moss seated at the bottom of a fire exit staircase wearing a fur coat with a pack of cigarettes in hand. On the surface, it appears to catch Moss in the midst of a wild night during a time when she was known for her party-girl lifestyle. However, Brennan clarified that most of the widely accepted narrative around the photo is false.
“I read all sorts of nonsense,” the 53-year-old photographer told CNN. “I read that she tripped on her dress, that she fell down the stairs, that it was 4 a.m. — none of that was accurate. None.”
He also said that he believes Moss was not under the influence when the photo was taken.
Kate Moss.
Credit: Greg Brennan
Brennan said that he was assigned to photograph Moss’ birthday party, which he recalled had become “a kind of annual media event,” at The Dorchester hotel in London.
As he waited for her arrival, word spread among the group of photographers that Moss and her boyfriend at the time, Pete Doherty, were at a theater in London’s West End over a mile away.
When Brennan made his way there, he remembered that the theater had a fire escape that functioned as a back door. He went to check if Moss might be there, and lo and behold, he found her.
Kate Moss.
Credit: Greg Brennan
“She was just sitting there on the stairs, smoking,” Brennan recalled. “I walked past the door, took one look and knew I had a few seconds, if that, to act.”
As he quickly snapped a series of 10 photos through the door, he realized that the couple was sneaking out the back door (Doherty was just out of shot). As they made their exit, a decoy car pulled up to the front entrance to distract the crowd of photographers that had gathered there. Brennan said he helped the model open her car door in part to speed up their exit before onlookers realized where she was.
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Brennan sent the photos to his editors, and the next day they were all over the British tabloids. Because Moss had mostly avoided cameras throughout the night, Brennan’s stairwell shot was one of the few options the press had to run alongside reports of the model’s supposedly debaucherous evening.
‘The Big Shot’ by Greg Brennan.
Credit: ACC Art Books; Photo by Greg Brennan
“I understand why they do it,” Brennan said. “Kate having a cigarette, sitting on the stairs, doesn’t really sell newspapers.”
The photo played into the British media’s narrative around Moss at the time. In 2005, drug allegations against the model resulted in her losing multiple contracts, despite the fact that she was never charged.
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