At photo shoots the Jackson 5 were pros. They could turn the charm on at will and before you knew it you were as much on auto-pilot as they were. I’d let my motor drive do the talking, while carving my own slice of the teen pin-up pie.
Because the last minute “grab” shots weren’t posed, they had a sense of intimacy to them. Those shots invariably turned out the best – but not necessarily Michael’s photos. With him there was no telling when the revealing moments would present themselves, and there were many, even when he was posing. As a subject, at 12 years old, he broke all the rules.
Beyond being the obvious talent and the acknowledged star of the group, Michael was just different. He was shy and quite aloof. He was also intense in an understated way that seemed so natural for him. I assumed he didn’t like to be the center of attention, but needless to say he was used to it. Photographing Michael was not like photographing any other 12 yr old. He seemed little down all the time, as if he was under a little more pressure than the other boys. It’s not that Michael wasn’t cooperative – he certainly was – but with him I’d feel like I was trying to coax a turtle out from under his shell. Like the other brothers, he could turn it on at will, but there was a vague yet persistent look of resignation on his face in retrospect, it was as if he’d already accepted destiny, albeit begrudgingly, like a pre-teen who gets brought into a room where someone throws him a crown and says, “You’re the King now, go sit on this throne, now tell us what to do…”
When I look at some of the photos I shot of Michael way back then, I notice something. Whether the shots are posed or not, whether he is looking straight into the lens or off-camera, or whether he is laughing or straight faced, there seems to be an intensity in his eyes that speaks of many things – a longing for something other than adulthood, an acceptance of his extraordinary talent and the realization that the paths he’s traveling on just might be paved with gold.
They say that the camera never lies, but I’ve done enough photo shoots in my time to think that’s not always the case. Then I look at pictures – and not only mine – of Michael as a boy, and I know that this saying couldn’t be more true.
Neal Preston (Michael Jackson “Opus”)
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