Why He's No. 32

David took his first photograph when he was 6 years old, and it was of his mother in a bikini holding a martini glass. He remained hooked on the art until his first professional gig as a photographer with Interview magazine. Who hired him? None other than the legendary Andy Warhol.

David has been an active member of the avant-garde photography scene for more than two decades and when he's not working on a music video or ingratiating himself among the hipster elite, David is devoting some of his sparse spare time to the social causes closest to his heart. In 2006, David was presented with the GLAAD Vito Russo Award for his tireless work in eliminating homophobia from the public's consciousness.

Back Stage

In addition to his ongoing work in the world of music videos, David's photographs continue to have a palpable influence on his peers. He is currently preparing for the release of Heaven to Hell, the final installment in a trilogy of books, following LaChapelle Land and Hotel LaChapelle. The previous books placed various celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears in decidedly unusual situations. Heaven to Hell does the same and shocks us with images of Courtney Love posed as the Virgin Mary -- go ahead, imagine that.

"I never wanted to be famous. I always wanted to take famous photographs."

- David LaChapelle

Forcaste

As the man behind such iconic music videos as Christina Aguilera's Dirrty, Avril Lavigne's I'm With You and Gwen Stefani's Rich Girl, David LaChapelle has quickly emerged as one of the most creative and resourceful filmmakers working the MTV scene.

David started out as a photographer -- he has several photo books available for purchase -- and his penchant for intriguing, surreal and indelible images has won him kudos and praise from fans and experts; so much praise in fact that he ranked as one of the 10 Most Important People in Photography by American Photo Magazine. In 2005, David made his feature-length directorial debut with Rize, a documentary detailing the Los Angeles-based dance craze known as krumping.