The glamorous eye of Herb Ritts

Mel Gibson, photographed by Herb Ritts in Hollywood, 1985. The life and work of the celebrity photographer (1952-2002) is celebrated in a new book by Charles Churchward, a former design director at Conde Nast, called "Herb Ritts: The Golden Hour."

Ritts' photo of his pal Richard Gere - snapped while the two of them were waiting for a tire to be changed - helped launch both their careers in 1978. "Three months later, Vogue, Esquire, Mademoiselle had run all the images from the gas station that I'd taken, which was kind of interesting - and I got paid for it," Ritts later told CBS News.

"Fred with tires," photographed by Herb Ritts in Hollywood, 1984.

Sylvester Stallone and Brigitte Nielsen, photographed by Herb Ritts for Vanity Fair magazine in 1985.

Herb Ritts photographing Elizabeth Taylor.

Julia Roberts, Malibu, 1990, photographed by Herb Ritts.

The cover of the premier issue of George magazine featured Cindy Crawford as George Washington, photographed by Herb Ritts.

Carol Channing and Pee Wee Herman, photographed by Herb Ritts.

PE_FINK.D._Lang_-_Cindy_Crawford.jpg — Herb Ritts Foundation

Singer k.d. lang wanted to be photographed in a barber chair, so Ritts called his friend Cindy Crawford who gladly assented to being used, she said, "as a prop." Los Angeles, 1993.

Masai warrior photographed by Ritts during a trip to Africa in 1993.

"Backflip," Paradise Cove, 1987, photographed by Herb Ritts.

"Herb Ritts: The Golden Hour" by Charles Churchward is available from Rizzoli Books.

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