David LaChapelle (born March 11, 1963) is an artist and photographer known for combining a hyper-realistic aesthetic with social messages. LaChapelle’s photography career began in the 1980s when he began showing his artwork in New York City galleries. His work caught the eye of Andy Warhol, who offered him his first job as a photographer at Interview magazine. His photographs of celebrities in Interview garnered positive attention, and before long he was shooting for a variety of top editorial publications.