Polaroids of SZA, Megan Thee Stallion and more feature in a new book

Photographer Phillip Leeds first captured the zeitgeist back in 2017 with his book, Big Shots –  a collection of 400 Polaroid portraits of superstars from the realms of art, music, fashion and popular culture. Featuring Rita Ora on its cover, the book included shots of Jay Z, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake, and hundreds of others.

Leeds earned comparisons to Andy Warhol, whose Red Books project (carried out over the course of the 1970s) provided a similar overview of the cultural figures of his time. Interview Magazine summed up Big Shots best, describing it as “the coolest yearbook of the millennium.” Shot with a unique vintage Polaroid camera - the titular ‘Big Shot’ - Lee’s images have a distinct quality, at once contemporary and instantly nostalgic.

Now, Leeds is back with a sequel – BIG SHOTS! Volume 2  (published by Blurring Books). This time, SZA is on the cover, and there are 500 portraits. As with its predecessor, the book provides a fascinating documentation of the present moment; across 500 portraits, it features both major celebrities and behind-the-scenes players. 

The collection also includes portraits of Megan Thee Stallion, Mark Ronson, Doechii, Q-Tip, and Ndaba Mandela – plus a foreword written by Pharell Williams, who recalls: “I met Phillip way back, in ’95 or ’96, and he was always the guy who would say, ‘Let’s take a picture’.”

While many of the images have been shown in galleries all over the world – including Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York – they have never previously been published.

Visit the gallery above for a closer look.

Big Shot! Volume 2 by Phillip Leeds is published by Blurring Books will be released in July.