Getty Royal Photographer Chris Jackson: "Photographing Royalty Transcends Celebrity"

Getty Royal Photographer Chris Jackson said it plainly: "Photographing royalty transcends celebrity. You've got an A-list Hollywood star and she's really excited about meeting K…" — and Premier Guide Miami was in the room when it happened.

On December 8, 2011, NBC Universal held a press call for William & Kate: Inside the Royal Marriage , airing Tuesday, December 13th from 8 to 9 p.m. Eastern on NBC. The special — hosted by Today's Natalie Morales — was a definitive account of the first six months of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's marriage. Daedrian McNaughton of Premier Guide Miami spoke with Getty Images Royal Photographer Chris Jackson, one of only a handful of photographers trusted inside the couple's private circle.

Photographing royalty transcends celebrity. You've got an A-list Hollywood star and she's really excited about meeting Kate.

How were you selected for this assignment?

It fits into two different categories. I work for Getty Images as the Royal Photographer, and I pretty much cover every Royal trip with Prince William and Katherine wherever they go — the Duchess of Cornwall, the Queen, et cetera. On those trips, I've got a regular relationship with Clarence House and Buckingham Palace, and as a photojournalist you have to apply for the trips and you're approved or not. But obviously as I've been doing it for quite a few years, it would appear a bit weird if I wasn't approved. The other angle is building a relationship with Prince William and Katherine over the last couple of years. I've done a few private shoots with them — that's something where you build up the relationship over the years through talking to them and generally getting to know them. They'll ask you to come in and do some pictures for a charity or in advance of a trip somewhere. So you spend a lot of time developing a relationship, while at the same time working for a large news photography agency and covering things from a neutral point of view. Those two things can be in slight conflict, but essentially that's the two different ways you cover things as a journalist.

How would you describe your overall experience doing this documentary?

The last year has been an incredibly exciting time as the Royal photographer. It kicked off when we found out they were getting engaged, and from there it absolutely snowballed. The attention of the world was on London for the Royal Wedding — an incredibly exciting time. And obviously since then everyone's been fascinated by what Kate's going to wear next, when they're going to have babies. For my job it's been incredible. It's hugely raised the profile of images published around the world, and it's exciting to be a part of that, working with two of the most famous people in the world. The trip to Canada and L.A. was something I was really looking forward to. In the event it was great fun, but quite stressful — what comes hand-in-hand with this level of media attention is lots of journalists and photographers, which means a lot of competition. You have to be at jobs well in advance. If Prince William and Katherine were to do a job in London, you might be there three or four hours in advance to make sure you have a good position. The same goes for trips abroad. It all gets a little bit stressful, which is in complete contrast to how it used to be about a year and a half ago, where there was a small group of about four or five Royal photographers who covered all the trips abroad and it was fairly relaxed. The pace has certainly changed — exciting in one sense, very tiring in another. But we wouldn't change it for the world.

On the Tusk Trust reception in Beverly Hills

One of the documentary's most intimate sequences was filmed at a private Tusk Trust charity reception at Steve Tish's house in Beverly Hills — an event Chris was one of only one or two photographers invited to attend. "There were about 30 highly influential people there — the Head of Disney and a few others — and they were all so excited to meet the Prince and Katherine. I think the hype was at its peak right at the end of that ten-day trip to Canada and L.A." One of the moments featured in the documentary: Katherine meeting Reese Witherspoon. "Reese was just looking at her in complete awe. I think she was really excited to meet her. Photographing royalty transcends celebrity — you've got an A-list Hollywood star and she's really excited about meeting Kate." William & Kate: Inside the Royal Marriage aired Tuesday, December 13th at 8 p.m. Eastern on NBC.

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