If you haven't already read "Shooting w/ The Lingerie Addict - Part 1", I really encourage you to do so. Cora Harrington's blog, The Lingerie Addict, is an internet treasure, paying homage to the industry of lingerie, the brands that make it and the lingerie culture as a whole. She's also written for Teen Vogue, Jezebel, Fusion, Cosmopolitan and continues a passionate mission to deconstruct the stigmas surrounding lingerie, bringing the same attention and coverage as outerwear, jewelry, accessories, etc. She's also an incredible human being and I feel fortunate to call her a friend.
This summer I visited the east coast to visit friends and family in Scranton, PA. I decided to book a few shoots in NYC, just to even out the travel expenses. When I was close to being fully booked, I made a quick post that I could take one more shoot, and to my surprise, Cora commented that she would be emailing me inquiring about dates. She did, and as it turned out she was in NYC for a couple weeks on business! I've always gushed about the incredible experience it was to shoot with her six months earlier, so a few back and forth emails later, we had a date scheduled and were already discussing concepts.
Here's how you know you have an excellent relationship with another artist. This particular trip, I drove in with my girlfriend and my four year old son. Straight through, 24 hours from Minnesota to Pennsylvania. Without as much as a day to recover, we were on to seeing friends, shooting and making our rounds in Pennsylvania. When we made it to NYC, we had two shoots, and I'd managed to pull a muscle in my back [...happens frequently carrying a 60lbs bag]. I was pretty miserable, but the morning we woke up [early] to meet Cora in Brooklyn, I was so excited to create with her again. Thanks to the fruits of her tireless labors, Cora enjoys a large, faithful following on social media, and one of the most encouraging things is seeing her followers and readers anticipating this next shoot.
We arrived at this cool, sleek hotel. Cora was in a corner suite with a beautiful view of Brooklyn. It was morning, slightly overcast. Mint walls with sheer curtains. Tons of natural light, and minimalist decor. It was the exact opposite of our nighttime shoot at The Artisan in Las Vegas. I was eager to start making pictures, because I knew these would be so different. I booked a brilliant make-up artist, Susan Simmons of Brown Paper Doll Beauty. I've worked with Susan before and I knew she and Cora would gel [...and I still have to say, Susan's good judgement made a monumental impact on this shoot in her choice of lip color for the second look, complimenting the flower petals perfectly].
We got to work once Cora was ready. Same as last time. She laid out these remarkable gowns, robes, bra and panty sets; everything build, designed and manufactured to artisan quality. If there was ever a definition of "dream collaborator", it's her. Once we chose our first look and started taking pictures, I immediately realized how tall Cora appeared against these floor to ceiling glass windows. She is tall, but it was another example of how this shoot differed from our first. She was elegant, and everything appeared open, whereas the photos shot in Vegas were intentionally constricted, dark and witchy.
Overall, we just had fun. Cora snapped in to her rhythm, moving slowly, giving me the chance to slightly tweak her poses with minimal direction. I was experiencing an art high every time I checked the back of my camera, seeing another stunning capture. This comes across a bit cheesy and philosophical, but one thing I love about my job is being the one responsible for documenting moments in time, where special people like Cora, Susan and Elie come together at a gorgeous location, just to create something lasting and unique; bigger than all of us. There are several times I've been shooting, thinking to myself "...with this kind of talent, wardrobe, location and model(s), it's virtually impossible to take a bad photo!". This was one of those occasions.
We didn't kill ourselves. I knew everything we were getting was stellar, so it was just a matter of later finding those most exceptional photos of the afternoon. We moved on to our last look. Submerging Cora in a porcelain white bathtub filled with water, wearing a sage Harlow & Fox robe and Agent Provocateur lingerie. We accented the set with flower petals [...that matched her lipstick, brilliantly]. Small tea light candles every where. It was a breathtaking scene. In those last 20 minutes, we wrapped, gave a big hug to Cora and Susan, and Elie and I had to make a mad dash and two trains to check out of our hotel in Manhattan by noon. A two hour drive back to Scranton to rest, then a 21 hour drive back to Minnesota. I was on an adrenaline rush for quite a while revisiting the shoot in my head. I couldn't wait to get back home and edit.
Without further adieu, here's the NYC editorial in it's entirety. You'll be able to visit The Lingerie Addict's site in the coming weeks and read Cora's account of this same shoot. Thanks to every one that's read both parts of this story and friendship. It's been a pleasure to write.
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