My Favorite Place for a Fashion Shoot

I am in the process of scanning and e-archiving all my magazine spreads that have been boxed in different storage units around the globe for the past however many years. I honestly can’t believe how well they’ve held up, all the magazines are intact. As I was looking over my work, I remembered which locations were the most conducive working environments

Me in Paris with a dog enjoying the rain for German Vogue shot by Pamela Hanson. Talk about backdrop setting the mood for a shoot!

A German Vogue shoot with Pamela Hanson reminded me how much I love to shoot on location, especially in Paris. The streets of the City of Light are so alive with gorgeous architecture and rich culture, which makes it the best backdrop around. The streets of New York are also fun to shoot in since they’re so wildly alive. There’s an incredible pulse to the Big Apple that makes you feel your heartbeat – especially when in front of a camera dressed up to the nines – exhilarating!

Studios are great for certain fashion shoots. I prefer studio shoots where there is either a bare white wall and it’s all up to me to make something happen in front of the camera, or studios with very decorated sets that illustrate a story. Fashion is fantasy to a large extent, and those of us that create it are the storytellers. The background of a fashion picture/spread can lay the foundation for the shoot. Backgrounds inspire my mood for the story.

All in all I almost always prefer a location shoot. It’s much more fun to be outside in the natural air amidst local scenes in Istanbul, Jamaica, London or Stockholm, then it is to be cooped up in a studio day after day. But when it comes to shooting winter clothes in summer – give me an air-conditioned studio any day!!