The Triumph/Victory era picture thread.

This iconic collection comes directly from the personal archive of Dick Zimmerman, a prominent Hollywood celebrity photographer who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s. Zimmerman worked directly with Jackson on two other projects, the E.T. album in collaboration with Steven Spielberg, and the exclusive wedding photo shoot with Michael and Lisa Marie Presley.

Even now, more than four decades after the Thriller shoot, Zimmerman’s memories of the day are indelible. “I’ve never met anybody quite as polite as Michael. His childlike way was very interesting. Michael didn’t have an ego. He was a very shy individual. But when he took breaks from shooting, he’d stand in front of a large mirror performing dance moves, and he became a different person. He was unusual, almost like from another planet. His maturity showed when he performed.”

Zimmerman said that in spite of Jackson’s electrifying command of any audience while performing onstage, the young star seemed camera-shy at the photo shoot. “Michael had a little trouble confronting the camera, believe it or not. To get his attention off the camera, a tiger cub was brought in. It turned out to be a great diversion for him. His attention went totally to playing with it.”