An homage to Cecil Beaton and Charles James for designer Julie Danforth

I photograph artists.

More specifically, I specialize in photographing artists in environmental settings. So when fashion designer Julie Danforth asked me to photograph her wedding, there wasn’t a moments hesitation when I accepted the invitation. 

More posts on Julie’s wedding and her pieces at Metropolitan Fashion week will be coming to this blog soon, but first, I want to share with you this special stylized shoot that captures the essence and tone she used as a palette for her wedding that was held on a beautiful October fall evening.

Julie‘s work is motivated by the sophisticated styles of  many social icons, and for her wedding she designed and made the gowns with inspiration from the famous 1948 Vogue feature of Charles James gowns by Cecil Beaton (sketch below). The original image from Vogue (can be viewed at the bottom of this post) is piece of art that has been influential in many fashion photographer’s work, including Tim Walker‘s 2006 Juicy Couture ad campaign in 2006 and Steven Meisel‘s replica featuring punk-Asian models in Oscar de la Renta for the 2010 Vogue Cover.

Cecil Beaton & Charles James 1948 sketch
Cecil Beaton and Charles James 1948 sketch that was the inspiration Julie Danforth used to created her own bridal gown and bridesmaids’ dresses. © LaRae Lobdell 2013.

 

To capture Julie’s gowns and their elegant beauty properly, we set up a post-wedding formal bridal fashion shoot at the classical Stimson Green Mansion in Seattle. The following images are my favorite creations form the session.

Designer Julie Danforth in her bridal gown with bridesmaids. © LaRae Lobdell 2013.
Fashion designer Julie Danforth and her bridesmaids in homage to the famous 1948 Vogue feature of designer Charles James and photographer Cecil Beaton. This image set designed and created by photographer © LaRae Lobdell 2013.
Designer Julie Danforth in her bridal gown with bridesmaids. © LaRae Lobdell 2013.
Fashion designer Julie Danforth and her bridesmaids. This image set designed and created by photographer © LaRae Lobdell 2013.
Designer Julie Danforth in her bridal gown with bridesmaids. © LaRae Lobdell 2013.
Fashion designer Julie Danforth in her own bridal gown design. This image set designed and created by photographer © LaRae Lobdell 2013.
Designer Julie Danforth in her bridal gown with bridesmaids. © LaRae Lobdell 2013.
Fashion designer Julie Danforth and her bridesmaids. This image set designed and created by photographer © LaRae Lobdell 2013.
Designer Julie Danforth in her bridal gown with bridesmaids. © LaRae Lobdell 2013.
Fashion designer Julie Danforth in her bridal gown. This image set designed and created by photographer © LaRae Lobdell 2013.
Designer Julie Danforth in her bridal gown with bridesmaids. © LaRae Lobdell 2013.
Fashion designer Julie Danforth and her bridesmaids. This image set designed and created by photographer © LaRae Lobdell 2013.
Designer Julie Danforth in her bridal gown with bridesmaids. © LaRae Lobdell 2013.
Fashion designer Julie Danforth and her bridesmaids. This image set designed and created by photographer © LaRae Lobdell 2013.
Designer Julie Danforth in her bridal gown with bridesmaids. © LaRae Lobdell 2013.
Fashion designer Julie Danforth in her bridal gown. This image set designed and created by photographer © LaRae Lobdell 2013.

 

Original Pieces set to Inspire this shoot

Cecil Beaton & Charles James 1948
1948 Vogue feature of Charles James gowns by Cecil Beaton

Juicy Couture 2006 by Tim Walker
2006 Juicy Couture adTim Walker

Steven Meisel 2010 Vogue Cover
2010 Vogue Cover: Oscar de la Renta by Steven Meisel

 

Photography details for this shoot are below.
To see all the equipment I use on set, visit my Gear List.

Camera: Nikon D700

Lens(es):
on 16-35mm f/4G ED VR II AF-S IF SWM Nikkor Wide Angle Zoom Lens –  Aperture: f/14 – Shutter: 1/200 – ISO: 200

Lighting:
Bags:
Camera Strap:
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