Robert Kennedy Jr, The Atlantic Session

My recent sitting with Robert Kennedy Jr. for The Atlantic was our fifth session together.

It had been eight years since we’d crossed paths and I was keen to do something fresh with him. Plus, the narrative had shifted greatly. When we had met nearly thirty years before he was a reluctant spokesman for water conservation in New York State, now he was an outspoken presidential candidate with controversial takes on the issues.

Despite our having spent some time together, over multiple occasions, I’ve never felt a particularly close connection to RFK. He’s always been decent, professional, and straight-forward with me but I always felt at arms-length. That might be due to the nature of the photographer journalist/subject relationship, and that feels about right.

Halfway through this session Kennedy asked me, “Chris, will you be able to do an edit, or does the magazine expect you to hand in everything?” I told him, “Yes, I always do an edit first.” “Okay, good!” he replied happily. “Bobby, I like you, but they’re my client, so I’ll give them the edit that suits their interests,” I added. His response was a stony silence.

Ultimately, my association with Robert Kennedy Jr. is a positive one because he’s a great photo subject. And even after he knew that my loyalty lied first with the magazine he struck some daring and dynamic poses (including the tight portrait above).

Top Image: Robert Kennedy Jr. at his home office in Los Angeles, June 2023. This was the second to last set up of the day.

Second Image: I placed Kennedy behind this pillar and then asked him to tighten this tie for the shot.