Acclaimed celebrity headshot photographer Bjoern Kommerell chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about his latest endeavors.
His photos have appeared in some of the biggest fashion magazines and online media publications over the years. He has photographed many actors in the daytime community, as well as the late Oscar-nominated actor Chadwick Boseman, Sir Elton John, Meghan Markle (the Duchess of Sussex), “Cobra Kai” star Billy Zabka, Riley Smith, Matt Cornett, and Joe Manganiello, among countless others.
Kommerell is consistently hailed by film, TV, and theater actors as one of the best-loved photographers in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, and now that is about to change since his photography studio is bicoastal (with a newly-opened studio in Atlanta, Georgia). “The new studio in Atlanta is so good,” he admitted. “In Atlanta, it is way more affordable than Los Angeles.”
He also complimented his brilliant understudy photographer Zachary Smith, who is gifted and talented in his own right. “Zachary is great, and he was the perfect candidate for my operation,” he said. “Zachary is very reliable, and I can trust him with everything. He and I constantly swap locations. We can work simultaneously and in the evenings in LA, we do the self-tapes, which is a big thing these days.”
“I will also be opening a self-tape business in Atlanta, and that is very cool,” the German-born photographer added.
Kommerell noted that he saw a silver lining during the COVID-19 pandemic. “So many incredible things happened during the quarantine, and also mentally, it allowed me to reset, and then from June of 2020 until the rest of the year, I was very busy,” he said.
In his photoshoots, Kommerell acknowledged that music “creates the emotional carpet” on which his “words walk on.” “You are feeling it, and then my words are taking that emotion that the music makes you feel into a certain direction, and then I can make you feel sentimental or empathetic, or whatever I tell you,” he explained.
Kommerell had great words about rising German actor Luke Roentgen. “He was in the main cast of a popular kids show in Germany but it never got to his head, and I think that’s very important in your upbringing. Luke is really solid and humble, and that comes down to family structure and friends. He has good people around him,” he said.
To learn more about master photographer Bjoern Kommerell, check out his official website and follow him on Instagram.
