As Hurricane Katrina neared the US gulf states, seemingly in another far off fantasy world celebrities arrived and got ready to party in Miami’s South Beach for MTV’s Video Music awards.

Nearly half of greater Miami is without electricity on this late Friday night—the result of Hurricane Katrina’s initial landfall. But here on South Beach, the MTV Video Music Awards are hardly interrupted. After a round of rescheduled flights, young Hollywood and much of the music industry have finally converged on the area …

What would normally be a fascinating read into the world of celebrities is now a jarring display of disproportionateness in the context of the hurricane’s aftermath. Having said that, celebrities and wanton partying aside, I like photography and I like reading how a professional goes about his work. And this is one of those stories.

Star Gazing - Unearthing the underworld of celebrity photography. By Brett Sokol