Perfectly framed: Jamie Lee Curtis

The American photographer has had access to the rooms of power in Washington since the mid-1980s: photographing for TIME magazine in the White House, she accompanied the presidencies of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Her life’s work is far more extensive and includes countless portraits not only of politicians, but also of artists and celebrities. A portrait of Jamie Lee Curtis proves that Walker always found the perfect moment for a surprising picture. And for once, the photographer herself can also be seen as a mirror image. The fact that the actress is a good friend and a Leica photographer herself makes this visual dialog all the more exciting.

Burbank, California, November 22, 1998: “I was invited to my friend Jamie’s 40th birthday party and, as always, I had my Leica with me. I thought it would be fun to record what was going to be a fun trip with her best friends and her mother, actress Janet Leigh, to go over to Las Vegas to see Cirque du Soleil. The first thing you should know about Jamie is that she is one hell of a photographer, and you won’t be surprised to hear that she often uses a Leica. Sometimes, when we walk down the street in Santa Monica or somewhere else, we will both have our cameras, and we will engage in “dueling” Leicas. I’m always so surprised at what Jamie sees that I don’t, I’ve learned a lot from her powers of observation. She is fun to photograph because she is able to forget the camera is there. Jamie is also a spontaneous person as in this picture, where neither of us knew what she was going to do next, and suddenly she was in the frame of the window.”

Jamie also remembers that special moment very well: “That’s me kind of half acting for Diana and half just being me. It was me, kind of as a hybrid.” Many portraits were captured during the long friendship between the photographer and the actress, and Walker’s photo book The Bigger Picture includes a separate chapter just on their interaction.