What is it about Juergen that allows him to persuade such inaccessible celebrities to completely drop their guard? I’m thinking about people like Kate Moss, Charlotte Rampling, and of course Mrs Beckham...
"I think his subjects — be it Victoria Beckham or his own children — are at ease in the images, they really have true intimacy. I think his ability to put his subjects at ease is due to the fact that he’s quite a cool customer, and he’s not the garish photographer that some might imagine."

So, he’s not the clichéd idea of a big-shot photographer striding around with his entourage?
"I think it might surprise people to learn that he’s shy, he’s modest and he’s a fairly self-contained individual. He’s not outlandish or outspoken or over the top in any way. He’s really very endearing."

And does that inform his work being simply sensationalist? I’m thinking particularly of the more eyebrow-raising works where he puts himself in the picture, nude. Really nude.
"To be honest I would be hard pushed to call any of them truly outrageous, because when you look at the people in the images, not only are they completely complicit in the image-making process, but they also look really calm. Maybe it’s about being at the eye of the storm."

Father and Son; photo courtesy of Juergen Teller/ICA