Born in Toronto, Canada, Douglas Kirkland spent much of his career in New York City before moving to Los Angeles in the 1970s. Kirkland worked as an apprentice to Irving Penn and began his independent career at Look and Life magazines during the golden age of photojournalism in the 1960s and 1970s. Kirkland catapulted to fame when he first photographed Marilyn Monroe. He has also photographed behind the scenes on the sets of more than one hundred motion pictures, several legendary, and many of which are compiled in his book, Freeze Frame (2007). Named "Photographer of the Year" by the PhotoImaging, Manufacturers, and Distributing Association (PMIDA), he lives in Los Angeles with his wife and business partner, Francoise.