Working with Elle is a dream many photographers wish for. Elle is a natural beauty, confident and so comfortable in her own skin, her body moves into elegant and poetic poses without thought or effort, reflective of the mood and tone of the moment – As the shooter, remembering to hit the trigger button is the real task at hand as you are sweep up in the symphony of timeless movement and emotion. I know I l know, it sounds so fluffy clouds and heaven like, but man… you have to be in the room to fully appreciate the joy Elle brings to a photo shoot.
Elle and I had struck a very comfortable and trusting relationship on the set of Season 2 of The Great for Hulu, so her team in L.A reached out and invited me to cover the build up to the evening of the awards.
I arrived at her London apartment early morning with the car full to the brim of kit, always be prepared for the unknown mi amigos haha. Behind the scenes and portrait coverage was the objective and all approved imagery had to be delivered to Elle’s team in L.A by 7pm UK time. Gatrell’s thrive on pressure lol.
The music was pumping, the energy was immense, the hours were flying by as Elle’s creative team, well family to be precise, weaved their magic.
We had arrived at the final look of the day with only minutes left. Elle sat elegantly on the edge of the bed in her custom Gucci PJ’s holding a puzzle which had to appear in frame. Elle looked up and said “We don’t have the time to construct the puzzle?” I placed box in clear view, the picture on the lid showing the puzzle complete in all its glory.
I knelt and smiled… “Elle, grab a handful of puzzle pieces and throw it at my lens…”
What a great end to an insane day full of laughter, music and wonderful people.
Special Thanks to Erin, Jenda, Samantha, Lucy and Elle X
