Tyler Shields: Warhol or Wannabe?

Ah, Hollywood ... it can bleed its most beloved stars and icons dry. Yeah, we know, boo-hoo, but let's face it, the more famous you become, the more perilous your existence: high-speed stalkarazzi chases, enabling sycophants brandishing substances, swag and empty sex, the undeniably brutal blogosphere.

PHOTO BY TYLER SHIELDS

Gloom meets glam: Juno Temple, left, and Emma Roberts in an exclusive shot from a recent Shields shoot.

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In the controversial, celeb-heavy, often blood-splattered images of L.A. photographer Tyler Shields, this contrast between beauty and dread is definitely intentional.

Best known for eerie images of starlets — notably Lindsay Lohan — posing with weapons or as ravaging fiends, Shields initially released his photographs and videos on MySpace; he understood early on the power of online buzz and sharing.

When he began doing gallery shows, he took the foreboding feel of his images to another level, leading gallerygoers into theatrical surprises. He now releases shots on his website and makes them available for purchase via British-based A Gallery U.K., and the more controversial shots almost always make the gossip-blog rounds.

Although he's received loads of negative attention recently from women's groups and animal-rights activists — for pictures showing Glee's Heather Morris with a black eye and The OC star Mischa Barton fondling raw beef, respectively — his images don't go viral simply because of their shock value. Web surfers are intrigued by his enigmatic persona and signature style, which allow his subjects to explore dark, freaky aesthetics.

For the actresses, being shot by Shields is a subversive status symbol. "It's an interworking relationship," he tell us in his Hollywood home office. "I promote them, and they promote me."

Indeed, you can't "hire" the photog at any price, he says. No money is exchanged between artist and subject. Shields says some of his subjects have gotten film roles thanks to his pics and videos.

Though the photographer says he doesn't watch TV or pay attention to the news, his subject list is a who's who of tabloid all-stars. Lohan initially hit him up on Twitter to take pics, leading to her much-blogged shots — with a knife, with a gun, as vampire, as a done-up diva getting groped with a deer-in-the-headlights gaze. The pair also have become pals, as is the case with most of his subjects.

"I've known Tyler for five years. He's a talented photographer but also a good friend," says actress Emma Roberts, who happened to pop by Shields' abode during our interview. "He makes you want to come up with crazy stuff just to try and top the things he comes up with. I love that he always has people doing the opposite of what you'd think they would do."

Apparently we were the first to throw out the word "star-fucker" at Shields (he denies its literal truth), but there's no denying that the people he shoots and hangs out with are in an elite "club" (his words) of sorts.

Originally from Jacksonville, Fla., Shields came to L.A. nine years ago and eventually began directing music videos, such as Ghostface Killah's "Biscuits" and Defari's "Spell My Name." He says all his friendships with famous peeps happened organically, many via the Internet, since he doesn't go out much.

This is one of the reasons the guy has as many critics as he does connoisseurs of his — not cheap — work. What shutterbug wouldn't be jealous of Shields' knack for getting stars to bare their souls, and sometimes more? How does he do it, anyway?

"It's a collaboration," says Glee's Jenna Ushkowitz. "I don't think he could get the shots he gets unless the artist" — that's her — "and Tyler totally believe in it. And I could only hope that the public would respect what we see as art."

But do they? Just take a look at the comments section on blogs like TMZ and even the artist's own website, which call him everything from a Terry Richardson wanna-be to a woman hater.

Gossip blogger Perez Hilton, who often posts Shields' pics, told L.A. Weekly that Shields is "a genius photographer, a genius at spotting rising talent and befriending them, and a genius marketer." Gawker, meanwhile, in a post about the Morris controversy, quoted Shields' contention that "our shoot poses a lot of questions," and responded, "Unclear whether the participants have even the shallowest understanding of what those questions are and why they are posing them."

Controversies like Morris' "Busted Barbie" shoot also turn people off. "I'm not trying to shock," Shields contends. "I'm just trying to play with all of those things that the news and culture tell you you should be afraid of. Seeing blood and guns and violence does something to people." He eventually auctioned off Morris' shots and donated the proceeds to an anti-abuse group.

Shields' psych-play involves more than picture taking. He just released his first novel, Smartest Man, available digitally via Amazon.com. In the intro, he calls the book an "experience of the mind," an idea he plays with frequently: He often invites a select group of people to take part in secret "games" and mysterious "journeys."

Invites for the premiere screening of his latest video compilation at the exclusive Soho House in West Hollywood last month said only, "Wear black, be there at 8 p.m. and come alone."