Michael Benabib

275 Fifth Avenue NYC | 212.683.4853

Iggy Pop portrait 1996 by celebrity photographer Michael Benabib.jpg

Iggy Pop Godfather of Punk 1996 by celebrity photographer Michael Benabib.jpg

Happy Birthday to The Godfather of Punk!

April 21, 2020

Using this time to dig through my archives of film, I discovered this never-before-seen photo of Iggy Pop from our Blender Magazine photoshoot at Industria Studio in NYC, 1996. Happy birthday to The Godfather of Punk!

Congratulations to Iggy Pop, Public Enemy, and Isaac Hayes on their 2020 Lifetime Achievement Awards

February 25, 2020

Congratulations to Iggy Pop, Public Enemy, and Isaac Hayes on their 2020 Lifetime Achievement Awards from the @recordingacademy #GRAMMYs I had the good fortune of working with these talented performers in the early days when we were all just starting out.

David Byrne for Blender Magazine circa 1999

November 5, 2019

David Byrne of Talking Heads for Blender Magazine circa 1999 in my studio.

Photography by Michael Benabib

Being interviewed about my photoshoot with Miles Davis

November 4, 2019

"Michael Benabib: I was hired by Def Jam Records. I love Miles. I grew up listening to jazz and my father is a real big jazz fan. So when I got the job, the first thing I did was call him and he said, 'Miles has a reputation of being difficult; I don’t want you to be disappointed.' Then I went to the shoot."

Usher “My Way” Photoshoot

July 19, 2019

I photographed Usher for the “My Way” album on 42nd St between 7th and 8th avenue in 1997 (at a time when you could have a photoshoot on a the rainy day in Times Square without anyone else around.) The 2nd photo is when Arista Records had Usher come to my studio for a publicity shoot. I photographed Usher a few times during his breakthrough years, and he changed so much between the ages of 13 and 14 from a growth spirt.

Kimora Lee Simmons just relaunched Baby Phat with Forever 21

June 19, 2019

Kimora Lee Simmons just relaunched Baby Phat with Forever21

Photo by Michael Benabib

babyphatxforever21

BBC Radio 5 Live Interview with Rhod Sharp and Mark Riley

April 18, 2019

Recent BBC Radio interview with Rhod Sharp and Mark Riley sharing my stories photographing hip hop icons🎙Listen to the full 23 min interview (starts at 1:36:26) to hear how I got my big break and behind-the-scene industry insights working in the celebrity biz.