REESE WITHERSPOON
August 6, 2007 · Los Angeles
Photograph by James White

''It was one of those magical days where everyone's relaxed and chill, everyone's happy to be there,'' says White of his experience with Witherspoon, who arrived at the studio with a single assistant in lieu of the usual A-lister posse. White decided against using props and stagey setups for this portrait, relying instead on minimal lighting and natural poses to capture the actress' personality. ''She has courage, takes risks, and is also very talented,'' he says. ''And I think, in a way, she conveys that through the photographs she takes.''