IT takes a special kind of photographer to convince Justin Bieber to pose covered in blood after being punched in the face.
But celebrity and fashion photographer Tony Kelly has a knack for convincing the rich and famous to be pictured in the most unlikely scenarios.
These include getting Kate Upton to pose on a farm bending over to grab a chicken and singer Demi Lovato strapped topless to a giant inflatable banana.
The famous photographer has opened up his archive of celebrity photos to The Sun.
It comes ahead of his new exhibition which features some of his FINE ART IMAGES which opened at the Maddox Gallery in London last week.
The Irish-born artist – who started his career as a social documentary photographer aged 19, focuses on A-listers as well as iconic landscapes.
Speaking on location in the Caribbean, Tony said his iconic style involves injecting humour and colour into his snaps - no matter which celebrity is in the picture.
The 39-year-old, who now lives in LA, explained: “The most important thing for me is the image stands out by itself regardless of who is in the photograph.
“The picture has to be strong. It should stand out.
“I always come up with a strong concept and that’s what I pride myself on.
“I always like to have a twist of humour in it and it’s always got to be colourful.
“With celebrities I often like to think, what would they be doing if they weren’t famous?
“I like to photograph people doing things they haven’t been pictured doing before.
“It’s about pushing people’s comfort zones AND PUTTING THEM AT EASE.
“I like to strip down that fame part and put people in elements of everyday life.”
Here he tells the Sun the story behind some of his most famous celebrity images.
JUSTIN BIEBER
“Justin was about to turn 18 so this photo was about representing his transition from a boy to a man.
"We wanted to make it ballsy and give him something with a lot of character to celebrate.
"They were the first controversial photos. Everything else he had been shot looking baby-faced and innocent.
“We shot in a boxing ring in Compton, LA. As he arrived, his manager said to make the proposal of the concept to Justin because makes his own calls.
“I was thinking ‘oh, what if he says no?’ I had about 10 seconds to tell him what we were going to do
“He literally said one word to me. He said ‘dope’.
“He was super-focused and super-professional. You give him a task and he executes it with professionalism.
“There wasn’t a second on that set that he wasted. He was a pleasure to work with.”
KATE UPTON
“The magazine proposed we shoot her on a farm. The concept was to show her as being ON A FARM surrounded by chickens and cows.
“She was brilliant. She completely got it. She was milking cows and embraced the entire concept. She was great to work with.
“Those pictures were taken when she was just about to take off. Has she done pictures like that again? She has absolutely not. There’s no other pictures of her looking like that.
“I thought it was great. She had the blonde hair and she fitted the part very well. She looked like a Heidi girl.
“It’s great to get celebrities to push the boundaries.”
DEMI LOVATO
“This was for Complex magazine. They wanted to do something with inflatables so I took it from there.
“Demi hasn’t been photographed in a very provocative way before. Most of the things she does is very conservative.
“I had a minute to convince her that this was a good idea and she was on board straight away.
“It was her first kind of topless photos. Yes she’s topless but the emphasis doesn’t go on the nudity or the sexual element. It goes on the concept.
“I think that’s why celebrities feel comfortable doing my photos. The viewer’s emphasis is on the humour rather than the sexual element. It’s about the story.
“Seeing a celebrity topless holding their breasts is not a new concept which is why I liked to give it a twist.
“I like to play with scale and use props so it was hilarious to get her strapped to a huge inflatable banana.
“It’s funny and it’s cool.
EMILY RATAJKOWSKI
“This was the GQ anniversary edition. She was just amazing to work with. She is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. She has amazing physical form.
“She was an absolute pro. I had all these guys in tuxedos and she completely got on board with the concept.
“Emily is no stranger to nudity but this was completely different. The Blurred Line video was quite gratuitous. Here I portrayed her as an iconic woman. She bursts out the birthday cake and there these guys scrambling up the side of it to get to her.
“She wasn’t fazed by being naked. She gave 100 per cent. She was fabulous to work with and I can’t wait to work with her again.”
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DAISY LOWE
“This was for Esquire magazine. I had photographed Daisy before naked and we got on great. When Esquire magazine wanted to do something with her she requested me. I absolutely love her.
“She’s a top girl. This was a stylish piece. It was a take on the 1970s iconic photography with the bicycle.”
BRUNO MARS
“Bruno had just been nominated for a Grammy the week we took those. I looked at this guy and just thought he is so talented. He’s the real deal. I think he’s the most genuinely talented musician to emerge in the last decade. He is a natural and such a gentleman.
“I wanted to portray him as this emerging superstar. I loved the concept of these women adoring him and hanging out with him.
“It worked a treat. He was great fun on the shoot. He was a real humble guy. I was privileged to be invited to a private concert by him and it’s there where I saw him as the superstar.
“Cameron Diaz was there and Britney Spears and they were all paying homage to him. I knew he was the real deal.”
ADAM LEVINE
“I’m a big golfer and when I got to his garden I was shocked and delighted to see he had a driving range. It’s every golfer’s dream.
“We bonded straight away and afterwards we started hitting balls in the range. We had a bit of a session. It was a great day.
“I went in there with a different concept but when I saw that he played golf and the range I changed it completely.
“I wanted to show what he was like in his spare time. I wanted to take him away from being a pop singer and the stage and show how he likes to be in his garden hitting golf balls.
“It’s a nice little insight into who he really is.”
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