behind the scenes of a photoshoot

I was gobsmacked by the beauty of a painting by Whistler that stood 12 feet tall at the Frick Museum. A society portrait that was modern, floral, and exquisite. I set out to recreate the look with the beautiful Aly, and this is how I did it.

It all started with a painting that took my breath away at the Frick Museum in NYC. The scale, the dress, the color palette, exquisite.

I found similar looks to the painting by James Whistler and made an inspiration board

I then started to recreate the dress, using pieces from my studio wardrobe.

Putting the dress together

Making some adjustments with Aline’s help (makeup artist and assistant extraordinaire).

The finished look

Shooting with my reference sheet in hand

Added flowers for some painterly texture

Hanging on the wall!

Here’s another look with Aly wearing her purple BCBG dress that I was hoping she’d leave behind. LOVE this dress. (I could only hope to look as good in it as she does, though!)

Here’s the set up next to a big window

Do I have JLo in my studio?

Aline is using a blow dryer behind me to get the Beyonce look on Aly.

Meet the team and see a few more looks. We finished this extraordinary shoot at a local arboretum to do a nature goddess look.

Steve assisted me during this shoot and he was fabulous! He could read my mind and moved equipment flawlessly. He also got some great behind the scenes shots like this one.

Another portrait that would look stunning at 12 feet

Steve is standing in the back

I often use a long lens when I’m outdoors to get a more romantic dreamy look (shallow depth of field).

See how the background is softer? It’s because of that long lens I just mentioned.

And here is a reel that Aly posted to Instagram. This was a magical shoot where everything came together. Thank you Aly for your calm presence, you were amazing in front of the camera! Thank you Aline and Steve for your invaluable help, and thank you, dear reader, for taking this tour with us behind the scenes!