Recently I came across the Interview magazine article, “Forever Young,” featuring three very young actresses in, for at least one of them, their very first couture photo shoot.
Kiernan Shipka by Mikael Jansson for Interview Magazine
One such young starlet featured is 10-year old Kiernan Shipka who you may recognize as little Sally Draper on Mad Men.
Kiernan Shipka by Mikael Jansson for Interview Magazine
The photos are all lovely, black and white images. But looking at them, I feel strongly that a big part of what makes these images strong and beautiful and even with somewhat of an ethereal quality, is really the styling here and not necessarily the photography. Of course a lot goes into creating a beautiful portrait, and certainly how the photographer interacts with and views the subject is a part of it, but when it’s really stripped down and simple, gray backdrop and subject…no elaborate set decor, etc. the styling of the subject can make a huge difference. Would these photographs be less beautiful if you took away the couture? Not necessarily, but it does help to create a particular feel in the portraits.
I really love the simplicity of these, the choice to go black and white and focus solely on the girls and the clothing. As young as these starts are, I think the stylists did a great job selecting looks for each of them.
-B
