What is a dream? The American dream? The dream of stardom, of fame and fortune? Dreams of love? The dream marriage? We all have a dream, be it big or small, and I think actually we have more of these dreams in common than we realize.
Take our beautiful model – here she is, her 2nd day in New York. Young, beautiful, & wanting to make a better life for herself. She came here without family, sleeping in a friend’s apartment on the Upper East Side, so small they share a bed at night.
I was thinking about these stunning, intricate Monique Lhuillier bridal gowns which are individually a dream themselves. To have a gown of such care and design is a dream I’ve dreamed many times. The purpose of these treasures are to dress the body of brides. I remember being a bride, how full of dreams I was…wanting the night to float in the heavens as this perfect memory of love.
We shot some of my favorite pieces from the recent Spring/Summer 2015 Monique Lhuillier collection on tintype, a photographic process from the 1860s which creates a direct positive of the image on a thin sheet of iron holding the photographic emulsion, here at our studio in collaboration with our new friend and tintype photographer Giles Clement, who we met down in Texas this past spring. I chose to capture this young beautiful girl with all her dreams before her in these stunning romance-laced gowns on this 150 year old photographic process because I wanted it to look like a dream, what each of these subjects represent to me. Photography is so many things, surveys such an array of purposes from science and technology, art and commerce, to capturing historic and everyday events. Photography can also be a way to see into a fantasy, to create a world that only exists in your mind… and isn’t that the definition of dreams?
Special thanks to Giles Clement who spent the day with us creating these one of a kind pieces of art together; I cherish these photographs- a dream come true.
Check out our Facebook to see the full-size tintypes!
Modeled by Michaela of Decorum Models // Tintype Specialist Giles Clement // Makeup by Morgan Gates // Nails by Phylicia Henry // Hairstyling by Joseph DiMaggio // Dresses by Monique Lhuillier // Shot at Ann Street Studio