Behind the Editorial: DC Magazine with Daisy Castro

An editorial shoot I styled and photographed for the DC edition of Modern Luxury magazine hits newsstands today! I had the pleasure of working with Daisy Castro, the 16-year-old gypsy violin prodigy who is in the midst of her residency at the Strathmore, where we were lucky enough to do the shoot. Besides being incredibly talented she's really creative, so I was excited to collaborate! You can check out the photo the magazine picked for their feature above, the whole issue HERE.  My favorite photos are below, and read on for the behind the scenes scoop. 

The Team and Getting the Right Look

When I got the call about the editorial, I immediately started putting together our team to make sure things went smoothly. It's really important to me that the set be relaxed, fun, and efficient; with a high-quality team where everyone is a rockstar at their job that becomes really easy!

With my background in fashion I opted to style it myself, and hit up Hu's Wear and Hu's Shoes in Georgetown for pieces for the shoot. Since Daisy is young but loves all things rock and roll, I wanted to strike a balance between edgy and luxurious while pulling pieces that were appropriate for the magazine's aesthetic. I fell head over heels for the Helmut Lang blazer she's wearing with ALC leather pants in the magazine, along with pieces by Bottega Venetta, Herve Leger, Peter Pilotto, and Halston in other shots. I pulled shoes by Manolo Blahnik, Guiseppe Zanotti, and Valentino - you know I'm a sucker for shoes! We kept the hair and makeup polished with a fun flair, and picked the final looks on set the day of the shoot. 

I tapped photojournalist Craig Hudson to shoot behind the scenes and photo assist, stylist Alex Fawcett (previously of Ralph Lauren and West Elm, among others) to style assist on set, and makeup artist and hair guru Lauren Clark to work her beauty magic. Everyone was focused but having fun on set, and things went flawlessly! 

Lighting the Venue

The Strathmore is a gorgeous venue with impeccable details and natural light, so I was really looking forward to working with my assistants to pair available and natural light to get a really soft look. We used a reflector and shot through a white umbrella for several shots, and added a rim light for added drama for some as well. 

Behind the Scenes

It wouldn't be a proper behind the scenes without some photos, so I enlisted my first assistant Craig Hudson of the Washington Post to shoot some photojournalistic photos. Check them out below!