Rihanna, 33, and A$AP Rocky, 33, are expecting their first child. The power couple announced the big news on Jan. 31 in a photoshoot that was shot by celebrity photographer Miles Diggs, better known as Diggzy. The gorgeous photos show Ri flaunting her baby bump underneath a pink coat, while A$AP rocked a blue jacket. The couple’s mismatched colors have left fans questioning if their baby is a boy or a girl.
Ri and A$AP’s pregnancy pics have been praised while making their way around the internet. Miles deserves all the credit for snapping such incredible images. But who is Miles, a.k.a Diggzy? Here’s what to know about the man behind one of Hollywood’s most memorable pregnancy reveals ever.
1. He’s from New Jersey.
Miles hails from the Garden State. He grew up playing baseball and found a passion for photography when he started selling photos of the players to their parents. “I just had that entrepreneurial spirit, but I assumed my path would take me into sports photography,” he told Vogue in a wide-ranging interview published in June 2021. Miles said that he would head into New York City to snap photos, which led to his life-changing encounter with Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz in 2012.
“I came across them in SoHo, but I didn’t have anything for them to sign,” he said to Vogue. “I thought, okay, let me try and take their photo, which caught them off guard a little because I didn’t know what I was doing. Alicia was just so dope about everything. She said, ‘Alright, but just let me fix my hair first!’ So I waited and it turned out great.” From there, Miles pursued his career with paparazzi photography.
2. He has a big social media following.
Miles shares his celebrity photos on Instagram, where he has over 280,000 followers. He classifies himself as a “Celebrity Photographer” in his bio. A link to his Vogue interview is in the bio, as is instructions to DM him for inquiries. As his IG page shows, Miles has photographed some of the biggest celebrities in the world, such as Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Paris Hilton, Justin Bieber, Kourtney Kardashian, Angelina Jolie, Megan Fox, Machine Gun Kelly, and of course, Rihanna.
3. He considers himself a ‘perfectionist’.
Miles called himself a “perfectionist” while discussing his photography career with Vogue. “I see each photo as a candid portrait,” he said. “Even if you only have seconds to react, I want the lighting to be right and the image to be beautiful. I’m a perfectionist, so I try to predict where they’re going to walk, which side of the car they might get out of; if there are pedestrians around, I think ‘okay will I have to adjust for that?’ I take into account every factor, and I shoot using manual settings.”
4. He’s built a rapport with the celebrities he photographs.
Ever since his run-in with Alicia and Swizz Beatz, Miles has formed close relationships with celebrities. This allows him to photograph the stars at their approval. “Slowly, I became friendly with people; they would see me have a positive experience each time, and the relationship would grow,” he told Vogue. “Just being a down-to-earth regular person and treating people like they are people is enormous,” he added. Miles also revealed there’s instances when celebs ask not to be photographed. “There have been times when someone has come up to me and said, ‘Hey, please do me a solid because I’m not with it today,’ or they don’t want a picture taken while they’re drunk after a night at a club or headed to a doctor’s appointment. Whatever the case may be, if they’re not feeling it, you have to respect that; it goes a long way.”
5. Rihanna is his favorite person to photograph.
Miles has been lucky enough to meet and take pictures of so many A-list stars. But of everyone, the “Only Girl in the World” singer is his favorite. “Rihanna is unbeatable,” he told Vogue. “People like that make my job easier. You can’t get a bad photo of her even if you try!”