Last fall I connected with Vaughn Stewart, editor in chief of Cool America Magazine. We had a couple of great phone conversations and decided to shoot an editorial together for the winter edition of his magazine. He mentioned the possibility of using Forest Hills Gardens as a location. I took a drive out and we toured around the neighborhood. I fell in love with the area and saw endless possibilities of incredible images. Vaughn hit up a half dozen of the top New York model agencies and we both agreed that Braxton Claudill from One Management New York was perfect for the story. Vaughn tapped Brian Robinson, BDR Styling to create out looks.
Shoot day was a breeze. Although we photographed a couple of looks inside an apartment and on a beautiful balcony, Vaughn felt it was not consistent with the editorial feel of the story. Even though I loved the images, I had to agree. We piled into my car, parked by the local train station, shot two looks on the platform, a third look on the sidewalk, pulled around the corner and shot three looks on a side street. Might be the easiest editorial I shot, and I am in love with the results.
I was thrilled that emerging fashion designer Claudio Cina asked me to photograph his Spring 22 collection. Claudio and I had collaborated before on an editorial. Our energy and creative vision produced spectacular work. I was excited to bring our vision to his new line. This is the first season that Claudio introduced a complete menswear collection. He also debuted accessories including handbags, jewelry and sick hand painted boots!
Claudio wanted the shoot to have a tropical feel. We were considering a restaurant location but the hours and timing didn’t work. My New York photo studio seemed to be the best option. We mood boarded, sourced props, backdrops, floors, plants. After many phone calls and a meeting Claudio opted to keep it simple and just use a blue backdrop which evokes the Caribbean Sea and tropical skies. I felt it was a good choice. We want to feature his designs and not detract from them.
Cina is a force. The collection includes a cohesive representation of swimwear, beachwear, jackets, couture dresses, tops, bottoms and accessories. His silhouettes, fabric selection, embroidery, hand painting, graphic designs, color palette is beyond. For me the highlight is his hand beaded dresses, color blocked leather biker jacket and those killer boots!
Claudio is very particular about his models. He already had male model Raphael Diogo with The Society Management casted. The female model he wanted to use was not available due to her traveling to Milano for their fashion week. I recommended a half dozen top NYC model agencies. After a bunch of go-sees it was decided to go with Jenaye Noah, also with Society.
The shoot was effortless. The models were perfect for the collection. We started off shooting with Raphael and menswear. He totally understood the vibe of the shoot and brought the clothing to life. The same held true with Jenaye. Besides being gorgeous she is a pleasure to work with and showcased the designs perfectly. I really enjoyed shooting the two models together. Although they just met that day it seemed like they knew each other forever!
I love it when the client has a difficult job selecting final images, as was the case with this shoot. He spent a lot of time narrowing down photos for his final layout. I also love when the client requests minimal retouching. These photos are pretty much out of camera. There was no toning. Some corrections were made with stray hair, unruly fabric, lightening some shadows, but for the most part what you see is what we shot.
We are thrilled that CFDA Runway 360 decided to showcase Claudio’s collection. You can see the images from our shoot by clicking on this link:
A couple of weeks ago I teamed up with hairstylist Cassie Carey and makeup artist JP Ramirez (represented by Blonde.Artists , a fabulous agency) to create some new work for our portfolios. We were working on a sexy boyfriend concept. For this shoot we cast model Emily Van Raay with Women360 Management, New York. I styled the shoot using button downs and sports coat from my closet. Emily supplied the lingerie since I don’t have any in my wardrobe.
The photographs we created exceeded our expectations. The main problem was selecting which images to use! The finishing touches in post production were executed by the fabulous retoucher Albina Annen who shares our vision of enhancing the natural beauty without going overboard.
Earlier this fall I had the pleasure of photographing a campaign for jewelry designer Monte Neri. Classic gold and gemstones. It is a really elegant collection. The concept was fairly simple, get some gorgeous models, drape them in Monte Neri, and create the magic!
Models we cast are Anzhela from W/360 and Nianga from Official Model Management.We shot in my New York City studio against a simple beige backdrop. The richness complimented the glowing skin created by collaborator Veronika Robova, hair stylist and makeup artist.
The designs and images are gorgeous! Take a look below, I think you will agree!
Fashion stylist Jonatan Mejia met in February and started planning to produce and shoot a fashion editorial together. We had a date scheduled for mid March, and then the Covid lockdown made it impossible. When NYC started opening back up we revived our plan.
The editorial, shot in NYC was just published in Awake Revue. Everyone is really pleased with the results. The images are stunning! Viki got the concept and took over!
Fashion credits include Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Channel, Helmut Lang, Desigual, and other luxury brands.
Love this boyfriend themed shoot with model Gee Burridge with Major Model Management, New York. Was originally going to shoot outside but the weather was not cooperating. Decided to create a simple set using three muslin backdrops; one hanging to make a wall, a second for the floor, and a third to throw over props for the model to sit/lean on. Very happy how the shoot turned out. Gee is a great model and worked the clothing. It was tough to select final images. Hair stylist Cassie Carey and makeup artist Dmitry Potapov did a great job creating beauty looks that worked with the clothing and setup. I love the loose hair! When we had a break in the weather we shot a look outside as well. Below are some final selects from the shoot.
A super cute behind the scenes video from a photo shoot with my client Nue by Shani. I love working with Shani Grosz and the team. Shani creates stunning dresses with hidden shape wear that create a perfect silhouette flattering her clients. The first two thirds of the day starts with shooting looks for her line sheet and customer e-commerce usage against white background. We then switch over to the creative, fun part of the shoot powering through multiple look changes on four separate setups. We are clear and focused on what we need to accomplish. Backgrounds and props are planned out and prepared. The biggest challenge for this season was suspending large clocks. The rigging and stabilizing was a bit time consuming but the results made the effort worthwhile!
Love the images from this photo shoot with model Nasri Ashkir with One Management, New York. Shot in my studio. Fashion stylist Brit Lovoi put together great looks. Beauty, hair and makeup by Veronika Robova. Below are some images from the shoot.
I have been collaborating with makeup artist Hiro Yonemoto for many years. Hiro is from Tokyo but lives in New York. He does go back to Japan for work and to visit family.
On my last shoot with him for custom couture client Lee Anderson he brought along a team from a Japanese beauty blog to interview him and film behind the scenes footage of the shoot.
Hiro just sent me a link to the video. It is well produced, fun to see, but I have no idea what they are saying!
The model Kate Petrova from Q Management New York is stunning and the fashion was gorgeous. Below is the video for a look at the shoot!
I just had a beauty editorial and cover published in Lucire Magazine. The shoot was hair and skin inspired featuring our gorgeous model Anna Van Patten of Women 360 Management, NYC. We photographed the editorial in one day at Blonde + Co Studio, New York. Hair stylist Cassie Carey and makeup artist Dmitri Potapov created beautiful looks. Special thanks to Dylan Reese for postproduction!
Eric Hason Photography, New York 