TED Talks Daily
Stories of photographing monumental people -- from Michelle Obama to Stephen Hawking | Platon
19 Jul 2025
With his art, photographer Platon seeks to strip away assumptions and leave viewers with a window into his subject's character, filling our eyes with wonder and curiosity. Sharing extraordinary stories of what it's like to photograph some of the world's most prominent figures -- from Michelle Obama and Pussy Riot to Vladimir Putin and Muhammad Ali -- Platon captures the disarming power of empathy and human connection.For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch.Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links:TEDNext: ted.com/futureyouTEDSports: ted.com/sportsTEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-viennaTEDAI San Francisco: ted.com/ai-sf Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Full Episode
You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. Photography has a particular gift to strip away assumptions and leave viewers with a window into a subject's character, filling our eyes and our minds with wonder and curiosity.
In this Moving Talk from 2022, portrait photographer Platon shares the extraordinary stories behind what it's like to photograph some of the world's most prominent figures, from Michelle Obama to Pussy Riot to Vladimir Putin and Muhammad Ali. He tells us how photographs have the ability to capture the disarming power of empathy and human connection.
Asking all of us to remember we're in this together.
So here we are together. But we're in a technological trance. Here we are together, but we're divided by tribalism. Here we are together, but we're distracted by mass myths. We've been separated by walls, windows, computer screens, borders. But we're united in our hearts. Oh, we've argued and quarreled in the past, but now we know we've got a common bond. humanity. So why are we all here?
Maybe we're all looking for a key. A key to unlock this political, economic, social, cultural paralysis. Maybe the answer is in a little word. Empathy. Empathy is not just walking in someone's shoes or feeling someone's pain. Empathy is the secret ingredient for finding a human connection.
So I want you to open up your hearts and open up your minds, because in times of confusion, we must not lose our capacity to dare to be kind to each other. Some years ago, I had the great privilege to be invited to the White House to do this. This is Michelle Obama's first portrait as First Lady. Now, this has got nothing to do with politics. This is a cultural moment in American history.
On this day, I was nervous. And when I'm nervous, I get socially clumsy. Know what I mean? So I picked up my camera, focused on her eyelash, and in my clumsiness, I shouted out, right, my love, I want your soul. Give it to me. Silence in the room. I'm sure the hairdresser almost dropped the hairspray in shock. And as I took this picture, this devastating look came over her face.
The eyebrow raises, as if to say, how dare you? But I quite like it at the same time. So then I realized what I'd just said. And I said, my goodness me, I'm an Englishman. And in England, we invented being polite. I think Canadians and Americans do it better now, but we invented it. And here I am in the White House, calling you my love and demanding your soul. Please forgive my atrocities.
She stands up, gives me a hug and whispers in my ear, platon, when all is said and done, I'm just Michel. This is Pussy Riot. You probably know them as the hardcore feminist punk rock group who spoke truth to power against Putin's excessive nationalism. And consequently, they were sent to a Siberian prison for two years. But what happens if we remove those colorful, aggressive masks?
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