Herb Ritts was born in Los Angeles in 1952 and majored in economics at New York's Bard College. Shortly after college, in the mid-1970s, Ritts taught himself photography, snapping pictures of friends. One of his subjects was a friend's boyfriend, a then-unknown Richard Gere. His shots of the future star led Ritts into the world of celebrity photography with full force. He photographed everyone from Jack Nicholson to Michelle Pfeiffer to Mick Jagger, gaining unprecedented access to many of his subjects, including a paralysed Christopher Reeve and a post-brain surgery Elizabeth Taylor.Ritts' work often appeared in magazines like Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone. His photos graced album covers, including Madonna's True Blue (1986), and appeared in advertisements for companies like Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, the Gap and Giorgio Armani. He has published books of his work, and his photography has also been displayed in galleries and museums. Some of Ritts' well-known music videos include Madonna's "Cherish," Chris Isaak's breakthrough "Wicked Game," Janet Jackson's "Love Will Never Do (Without You)." Most recently he has filmed NSYNC's "Gone," Jennifer Lopez's "Ain't It Funny," Britney Spears' "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" and Shakira's "Underneath Your Clothes."