The Face of Leadership BY GLENN RIFKIN

PLATON photographs Prime Minister Tony Blair at the United Nations in 2009 for the series “PORTRAITS OF POWER.”

Forget facial recognition. PHOTO ON THIS PAGE: NICKOLAS RAPAZ A world-renowned photographer uses only a camera to dive into the psyche of world leaders.

52 Russian President , photographed by PLATON THE PROBLEM WHY WORRY? THE SOLUTION

The usual way of studying heads of Our misunderstanding of what drives Even in an age of facial state and CEOs often leaves many leadership can send government and recognition, perhaps the simple questions unanswered. companies in the wrong direction. lens offers unique clues.

is actually “boring” to him. “The camera is just a tool,” he says. “What is interesting to me is what’s happening in front of my camera.” To that end, Platon (pronounced peopleEven haven’t heard of him, they have ifundoubtedly Plah-ton) considers himself a storyteller, a speaker and seen his remarkable work. His portraits of world leaders an activist who brings a deep level of passion and com- in politics, business, sports and the arts are unmistak- mitment to the world’s trouble spots. In 2013, he founded able and iconic. They have graced hundreds of magazine The People’s Portfolio, a nonprofit foundation that aims covers, from Time to Wired to Vanity Fair, and the pages to create a visual language that breaks barriers, expands of countless other publications. Among his subjects: dignity and enlists the public’s support for human rights , , , Muammar around the world. His photos are all about capturing a Gaddafi, Serena Williams, Bill Gates and . moment in time in which that particular truth speaks His name is Platon, and he is a world-class photogra- volumes, even within the fast-changing, dynamic, tech- pher who has been face-to-face with a remarkable lineup nological world in which we live. of world leadership and power. His striking portrait of Born Platon Antoniou in England to a British mother Russian president Vladimir Putin, which graced Time’s and a Greek architect father, Platon spent his childhood “Person of the Year” issue in 2007, offered an unblinking in the Greek islands before moving to the UK, and now and penetrating look into the cold blue eyes of the intimi- lives in the US. Trained as a graphic designer, Platon later dating but inscrutable Putin. It is a photograph worth picked up a camera and found his calling. Extremely well more than a thousand words. dyslexic, he struggled to read and eschewed technology “I’m one of the few people who got to be an inch and (he has never written or sent an email), and through the a half from Putin’s nose, and I could feel his cold breath lens, he found a method for telling the stories that drew on my hand as I focused the lens,” Platon says. “I got to him near. After working for British Vogue for several look into his eyes more than Bush ever did. I was really in years, he got a break when John F. Kennedy Jr. spotted there.” What he saw in Putin is the same refraction of the his work and invited him to New York to photograph light of leadership that he has encountered throughout for his new publication, George. With newfound access his career. He feels it is his job to try to humanize the to A-list celebrities and political and business leaders, power system by presenting an honest portrait, good or Platon’s career skyrocketed and his unique portraits bad, and finding the truth in that portrait. created insatiable demand. We spoke with him about his With his 50th birthday looming in 2018, Platon is in a efforts to illuminate the face of leadership. (Questions long process of taking stock. He claims that photography and answers have been edited.)

● SOMEBODY ONCE personality. My role is to always intellectuals for showing charm DESCRIBED YOU AS be authentic. If I’m true to the in dictatorial leaders. What they “CAPTURING THE ESSENCE moment I was living at the time, don’t understand is that my job is OF A WORLD LEADER IN A I’m going to give you that specific not to go in with a preconceived SINGLE FRAME.” THAT’S A moment. I’m committed to it. I will idea and paint a dictatorial, two- POWERFUL STATEMENT. die for it. It’s the truth as I felt it. dimensional cartoon. My role is DOES IT FEEL THAT WAY But it’s never all the truth. You always to be honest. And what TO YOU? can’t tell a complete truth in five- you find when you are a few inches There is no such thing as a hundredths of a second. away from someone’s nose is that complete truth. There are just true ● you experience things that no one moments. And depending on how STILL, YOUR PORTRAITS can write about from the comfort you catch somebody, depending HAVE OFTEN SPARKED of their armchair and laptop. It’s on the context of that experience, CONTROVERSY. complicated. If a world leader has you get a different side to their I’m often criticized by many great charm but has done terrible

54 Microsoft founder BILL GATES, photographed by PLATON things to humanity, I think it’s That is something called service. you unless you are going there an important thing for us to I humbly believe that if you are first. And I always go there first. know. Because we will always a great leader, you have to be It’s devastating, frightening for underestimate [such leaders] if we strong, you have to be charismatic me every time, even now. It’s not assume they are charmless. If they and inspirational, but you also a trick. It’s just wiping the slates are charming, they are capable of have to think of yourself as a clean of all facades from myself recruiting, of winning people over, servant of the people. That is and my subjects. of persuading people. a very complicated conflict to ● ● resolve. Because on one hand you IS THERE A PORTRAIT SO YOUR GOAL IS TO GET have strength and then you have THAT YOU CONSIDER YOUR TO THAT ESSENCE? submission. I would say there are MOST SUCCESSFUL? Absolutely. To strip away artifice. only a handful of world leaders in My picture of Bill Clinton was And that’s difficult to do because history who were ever able to take my first-ever president—and it everyone is media-trained right those two opposite poles, put them probably should have been my last. now. If you look at how our leaders together and drive positive change. It was certainly not like any other are presented to us around the ● official portrait of a US president. world, there’s this air of glamour IT’S ONE THING TO There was so much criticism. and perfection and control and PHOTOGRAPH A FAMOUS But it was about charisma. ease. I don’t see a connection PERSON BUT QUITE Clinton—everybody says it—had between that propaganda and ANOTHER TO CAPTURE THE more charisma than anyone on the reality. So I set about this ESSENCE OF THAT PERSON the planet. Of course, that same challenge to try and humanize the AS YOU SEEM TO DO OVER charisma got him into trouble. But power system. Whatever it is, I’m AND OVER. IS THERE A it also took him to greater heights. going to find it. Picasso always SECRET FORMULA? ● said, “If there’s something to feel, I am not blinded by authority. I’ve THESE DAYS, IT FEELS AS I’ll feel it.” I’d rather say if there’s never been dazzled by the light. I IF THERE IS A DEARTH OF something to find, I’ll find it. always thought it was a bit weird GREAT LEADERSHIP OUT IN ● that this person seems to think THE WORLD. HOW DO YOU YOU’VE CERTAINLY HAD A they are superior to everybody DEAL WITH THAT? UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE. else. I just never got that joke. So If I were to ask you who is the next Many people meet world I am able to just say, “Well, hold Martin Luther King Jr., the next leaders with a very stiff, formal on a minute, with great respect, I Gandhi, the next Mandela, who are handshake, but do they ever break know you are so-and-so but you the inspirational figures in society through that barrier and get in are still a person. You have the that teenagers would have posters their spirit, in their soul? I use a same weaknesses that I have. So of on their walls, I don’t think little apple box, not even a proper let’s just be authentic with each you or I would be able to come up chair, for them to sit on and I’m other, right?” So it’s up to them. with more than one or two. To me, guessing more world leaders have It’s like putting a spotlight on the I know the leaders are out there sat on that apple box than any truth. Some people find that very because I know them and work single chair in history. liberating and others feel very with them all the time. But their ● threatened by that. voices aren’t getting heard because HOW DO YOU DEFINE ● of the sea of white noise. We have LEADERSHIP? SO IT TAKES A BIT OF to amplify those voices. That’s I’ve seen power, authority, CHUTZPAH AND COURAGE. our responsibility as storytellers. intimidation, charisma, seduction. You have to be courageous. You My goal is to give a voice to But there’s a side of good can’t expect your opponent or the voiceless and an enhanced leadership that I often don’t see. collaborator to be honest with platform of leadership. •

Reading into Faces Eyebrows Head Mouth Chin The most expres- Tilting it up or It’s particularly Upturned, it Great photographers sive part of the face down indicates good at conveying conveys disap- try to reveal what’s can help convey either happiness or desire or revulsion. proval. Indeed, it’s behind a face. Here’s almost any emo- sadness. It’s one of But don’t just read so universal that what the best science tion. According the easiest expres- lips; a Princeton researchers call to an MIT study, sions other people University study an upturned chin, (and some educated eyebrows are more can identify. showed some combined with a guesswork) says important in facial mouth movements furrowed brow and about what each recognition than are easy to confuse. pressed lips, the feature conveys. the eyes. “not-face.” 56 Human rights activist DR. DENIS MUKWEGE, photographed by PLATON