Frame HER | Episode 1 – Turning a CEO Into a High-Fashion Editorial Model

Meet Diana Marks

Diana Marks is an influencer and businesswoman who’s always in control. She works in the luxury sector with luxury cars and travel and also owns an influencer marketing agency, where she connects influencers with their dream brands, helping creative specialists with the business side of what they do so that they get paid for their skills.

Before this shoot, she told me that some of the things that she tends to criticize about herself in photos are her poses, facial expressions and body. She added that she was hesitant about relinquishing control of the situation and allowing me and my team to decide on her outfits, her makeup and everything else, but she was also excited about it, calling it almost a psychological experience as well as a creative one.

Being taken so completely out of her comfort zone made her nervous but also intrigued about what was to come.

Prior to starting, I did give her an idea of what to expect, sharing some photos of the types of outfits that she’d be wearing and what her makeup and hair would be like.

One thing that I knew would be a big adjustment for her was that she loves wearing black, but for this shoot, she wouldn’t be wearing much of it. In fact, we took some initial test shots before we got started, and in those, she was wearing her usual black. It was a simple outfit with simple lighting. Later, we’d compare those with what was to come.

At the time, I believed that what was coming were shots that could belong on the cover of a magazine.

Her Wardrobe

The one who was responsible for Diana’s wardrobe was Ana Kovalchuk.

One of the first things that she told Diana was that the only black that she’d see on this day would be black leather gloves that would go with her first outfit, and she loved that while she was also curious about what else she’d be wearing during this shoot.

Ana then told her that she did her color analysis and that her type is Soft Autumn. As for black, she said that it’s not her best color for portraits. Instead, a natural Soft Autumn color palette would be used here, like dark browns and blues; the blues would also highlight her eyes. Those were all colors that Diana said she wouldn’t usually wear, and Ana hoped that she’d end up liking how she looked in them.

The First Reveal

As we were going through the first part of the photo shoot and Diana was responding so well to my directions, I knew that she had no idea how the photos were coming out or how I saw her.

That would come with the first reveal, and her immediate reaction to seeing those images was, “Wow, look at that,” before she quickly added, “Actually, I love this look. She’s a very elegant woman. Very powerful.” She also said that she “never thought that I’m fall (colors)” until that moment. “Apparently, I am.”

Before we switched for the next look, Diana said that we’d gotten her so out of her comfort zone right from the start. At that time, we also agreed that, sometimes, uncomfortable poses that may feel weird at the time often result in the best shots.

Things were going amazing so far. Yes, she was a little stressed about the outfit being something that she wouldn’t normally wear and not knowing how the process was going until the end, but she loved the results so far.

Lighting

Because that first outfit was edgy with leather gloves, I used harsh lighting to bring that edginess out. I used just one light source with a simple modifier that was pointed directly at her, and her standing by the wall created harsh shadows, giving a paparazzi-style look. Her skin also had a nice glow, which was perfect, and everything became high-fashion and editorial while also being a little edgy with feminine energy.

The Next Look

Next, we had Diana do a slick-hair look, which was something that she said she always wanted to try anyway, so that was exciting. And her immediate response to seeing herself in the mirror before we started taking those shots was, “This is definitely not something that I would ever wear, but, actually, I like it.” The edgy type of vibe that it gave off was something that really resonated with her.

This was also when she was realizing how much these looks were “her” even though she wouldn’t have ever chosen them herself.

Setup

As for the setup for this look, I decided to switch from very harsh lighting to softer lighting while keeping it editorial. We used two strip boxes to light the background with V-flats facing the model and providing negative fill. Our key light was a Broncolor 150 with an octabox and grid about 45 degrees in front of her.

Reactions

When I showed Diana how those images looked, she replied, “Wow. … This has to be like on the cover of like a CEO magazine. It’s like a female empowerment type of thing where we combine this powerful edgy look with a lot of sexiness.”

Then we compared her first two looks with a test shot from when she wore all-black at the beginning, and she was stunned at the differences, saying, “This is insane.”

And we hadn’t even done the third one yet.

The Third One

I then went with the concept that our model wasn’t going to know at all what we’re shooting, what changed or how she looked, not until we showed her the finals. Diana’s response to this was that “that’s very uncomfortable for my personality,” but she was also intrigued and later said that “I feel very good in this outfit even though I don’t know what it actually looks like (on me).”

We started off with her wearing glasses but had to be careful since it reflected a little bit of the light, but it worked out well. I just had her look down a little lower for those shots before she took them off later.

Overall, I really liked how so many of these images were playful, edgy and powerful, all at the same time. Very editorial.

To go a little more fun, crazy and wild with the last look, I had an idea that I wanted to try, to have Diana throw some papers, some documents, towards me, to do something playful like that. Those images turned out so well.

Then she looked at the finals. I thought that they were powerful, but what was her first reaction? She agreed. “Wow. … My type of personality.”

That’s a Wrap

And with that, we were done. I then spoke with Diana to get her post-shoot thoughts about everything.

She replied that she was experiencing “a lot of feelings” but felt “amazing.” “I feel relaxed, ironically enough, powerful and grounded. When I saw myself on camera, I started feeling more confident. … I really enjoyed the pictures and … the way I looked on the pictures … and the personality of the pictures.” She added that liking all three of the setups so much was what surprised her the most.

Compliments were also given to the “incredible” team that she worked with.

“You guys were able to see my personality, to see what maybe I’m not showing to the world.”

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