About
The Emmy-winning photographer and director was born in Olten, Switzerland. He started as a photographer's assistant in Los Angeles, then ran his own still-life studio in Switzerland for twenty years. In 2003 he turned to portraiture and moved to New York.
His portraits of actors, musicians and heads of state, from six American presidents to Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney and Lady Gaga, appear in TIME, Vanity Fair, GQ, Vogue, Esquire, Wired and The New York Times Magazine. He and his veteran team have worked together for almost a decade; they love technical challenges and thrive under the tight time limits they are often given.
In 2011 TIME commissioned BEYOND 9/11: Portraits of Resilience. The series won an Emmy and is part of the permanent collections of the Smithsonian and the National 9/11 Memorial. He was Emmy-nominated again for TIME's Year in Space.
Since 2010 he has worked with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), documenting the human cost of landmines.
Nicknames from High Places
Marco’s speed brought him a couple of nicknames over the years. Roger Federer calls him RoboGrob, and on their third sitting, President Joe Biden even called him an S.O.B!
Anatomy of a Portrait Sitting
KIRA POLLACKFORMER EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, VANITY FAIR
FORMER DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND VISUAL ENTERPRISE, TIME
People of power have historically been captured in portraiture by the greatest artists of their time. For centuries they stood or sat for painters who meticulously crafted their expressions, perhaps generously, who immortalized them as civilization developed and innovated. Today, being photographed by Marco Grob is a worthy equivalent. He doesn’t just make portraits, but rather creates them.
In an age when photographs are ephemeral, when a picture can be shot and shared in seconds, Marco’s signature is a lasting portrait of someone who for better or worse impacted the modern era. When he meets his subjects he plays off them. He harnesses their energy, transforms timidity into confidence and vulnerability into strength. He makes us see them as we hadn’t—couldn’t—before. He prides himself on efficiency and precision to make it happen.
One of the great privileges of working with Marco is watching him on set. He choreographs his team to execute the perfect stage for each photo shoot; everyone has a role and no one is expendable. Organized cases of equipment have been hauled across the country or around the world, unloaded and set up in a hallway or conference room inside an office or a palace, for a shoot that may last all of five minutes and involve three different backdrops. He knows when he gets the picture.
There is immense value in Marco’s portraiture. His vision is brought to life on magazine covers and billboards and movie posters. With the click of a shutter—and with everything that built up to it—he turns moments into history and people into icons.