Ron Gould is a low-key guy at the peak of a high-profile career in celebrity, corporate and travel photography. Based in Chicago, where he was born and raised, Ron radiates positive energy about his profession and the famous people he’s photographed. But if you want to push his buttons, just ask about paparazzi. “I have no respect for them,” he says. There are two kinds of people who photograph celebrities: the paparazzi hanging around on the outside, and the professionals who are paid and hired to be there. I’ve always been the guy on the inside. Celebrities and politicians know I’m there to make them look as good as possible, not to take salacious pictures of them doing something they shouldn’t.”

During his 30-year career, Ron has been “inside the ropes” to photograph celebrated singers (Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks), champion athletes (Michael Jordan and a host of Olympians) and powerful pols from both sides of the aisle, including Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Al Gore, Jack Kemp and George and Barbara Bush. People with names that big often have egos to match but you won’t hear it from Ron.

Participant: "Tibet in the Eyes of 100 Photographers" (2005)

"Xinjiang Through the Lens of 100 Photographers" (2006)

"Rizhao in the Eyes of Foreign Photographers" (2007