Photog reveals how he makes ‘wicked’ Queen Elizabeth smile in photos

nypost.com:

Fox News earlier this week.Rankin, who has photographed many famous faces from Hugh Grant to Kendall Jenner to the royals, explained that the only other person to make him feel shaky was Madonna.But snapping the Queen didn’t make him nervous, noting that he was “super excited because as head of state, [the Queen] has been a part of my life since I was born.”He added: “If you were brought up in the U.K., she becomes like an extended member of your family.”“It was an absolute honor,” he went on. “I’ve always been in awe of her as a human because she had made so many sacrifices in her life.

And even though I grew up with her, I didn’t know very much about her. So, it was fascinating to have a brief moment where I could see who she really was as a person.”Back in 2002, Rankin put on his best suit and went to Buckingham Palace to create the monarch’s portrait.He carried his equipment with him and anxiously waited in a long corridor alongside three palace aides for the Queen to arrive.“[She is] the most famous woman in the world,” the Dazed + Confused magazine cofounder said. “So there was, of course, a lot of pressure to get it right.

And I wasn’t scared of taking her photo. I just wanted to make sure it perfectly represented her.”He noted that he prepped for a time to get himself ready to greet the sovereign properly.

He saw her coming towards him, laughing and joking with her footman.“I just thought, ‘Oh my God, she’s got this great sense of humor,'” he said, adding that a “wave of power” took over him as she walked in.