Queen Elizabeth II photog on capturing 'most famous woman in the world': She 'humanized in front of me'

Celebrity photographer Rankin, who recently launched his "Portraits of Progress" exhibition, recalled what it was like photographing Queen Elizabeth II for her Golden Jubilee.

I loved meeting Dan as part of #PortraitsofProgress. Dan was diagnosed with #hemophilia in 1953. His grandson has it too, but thanks to medical advancements, he has been able to live a very different life. See all the portraits at https://t.co/5ZlN7ykjdk #sponsored @CSLBehring pic.twitter.com/m8IFCRY1nE Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.

"I was probably more nervous than I’ve ever been in my life," he admitted to Fox News Digital. "I think the only other person who ever made me quite nervous was Madonna. But I was also super excited because as head of state, she has been a part of my life since I was born. If you were brought up in the U.K., she becomes like an extended member of your family."

"It was an absolute honor," he continued. "I’ve always been in awe of her as a human because she had made so many sacrifices in her life. And even though I grew up with her, I didn’t know very much about her. So, it was fascinating to have a brief moment where I could see who she really was as a person. But this was also the most famous woman in the world. So there was, of course, a lot of pressure to get it right. And I wasn’t scared of taking her photo. I just wanted to make sure it perfectly represented her."