Photographer Patrick Halls likes to make the people he takes photos of uncomfortable in order to “capture a real emotion”. It is no wonder that for his latest project, he decided to stun his subjects with a taser.

Photographer Howard Schatz had an idea: place actors in a series of roles and dramatic situations to reveal the essence of their characters. Such was the premise behind his book, In Character: Actors Acting, which captures some of Hollywood’s most emotive stars in the act of, well, making faces. Luckily for us, he continued the tradition for Vanity Fair. Here are some of the best.

Krista Long began snapping pics of people sliding down a water slide after many visits to the local water park with her tween daughters. The result is an action-packed series that show emotions ranging, she says, “from pure joy to fear, in anticipation of the inevitable splash-down!” (Photo by Krista Long)

Supermodel Chanel Iman attends DKNY's Golden Delicious million dollar fragrance bottle unveiling at the DKNY Store on December 5, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

A Nepalese woman wearing a mask as a precaution against the coronavirus stands next to the clothing store in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

A Chicago Police Officer runs toward gunfire as looters break into downtown stores in the early hours of the morning on August 10, 2020. (Photo by RMV/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A Chicago Police Officer runs toward gunfire as looters break into downtown stores in the early hours of the morning on August 10, 2020. (Photo by RMV/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Father Christmas arriving at the Arding and Hobbs store in Clapham Junction, London, 2nd November 1926. (Photo by H. F. Davis/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)