Respect The Shooter: Darbe Rotach Speaks On Photographing LL Cool J, Missy Elliot, Pharrell, & More

Pharrell Williams

This was one of a handful of portraits I shot on the set of the music video for JAY Z’s “Excuse Me Miss.” The club and breakfast scenes were shot at around three in the morning at a hotel in Times Square. Pharrell always seemed to be everywhere during my time shooting in the early 2000’s. I would see him at parties and events in California, in Miami at parties and on music video sets for various artists in and around New York City. I had a good rapport with him and getting him to pose for a portrait was no problem. Getting him to react the way I wanted after a long day on set, was. You can see in this photo that he’s a little over it.