If you’re walking down Hollywood Boulevard and find yourself face to face with Marilyn Monroe or Darth Vader, that’s not just the magic of the movies — or the heat of Los Angeles — getting to you. Plenty of flesh-and-blood people haunt that artery dressed up as legendary stars and iconic characters, posing for photos with tourists and living off their tips. Copenhagen-based photographer Ken Hermann was fascinated by these performers, who, he writes, “are — or once were — pursuing the American dream of becoming someone special and famous. And, it is this struggle mixed with the childish fantasy world I find interesting.” Hermann captures this emotional complexity in Hollywood Street Characters, his beautifully composed series of portraits. Click through for a few highlights, and visit Hermann’s Behance page or website to learn more about his work.
Marilyn Monroe – April Q Russel. Photo credit: Ken Hermann
Spiderman – Rashade Rouse. Photo credit: Ken Hermann
Minnie Mouse – Milagro Aguiar. Photo credit: Ken Hermann
Superman – Javier Francisco. Photo credit: Ken Hermann
Charlie Chaplin – Tobias Santiago. Photo credit: Ken Hermann
Mad Hatter – Jason. Photo credit: Ken Hermann
Darth Vader – Joe. Photo credit: Ken Hermann
Chewbacca – Jabari Farrow. Photo credit: Ken Hermann