This week, photographer Douglas Kirkland will receive the American Society of Cinematographers’ Presidents Award. In the 25 years that the ASC has been honoring outstanding contributions to the art form at its annual ceremony, it’s the first time the laurel is being given to a still photographer.
“I still haven’t quite recovered from the idea,” admits the 76-year-old Kirkland, gesturing toward a cabinet in his Hollywood Hills home where various plaques and statues are displayed. “Of all of them it’s the most important. It’s the closest you get to an Oscar…I’m very moved that they see me in this way.”