Some outtakes below:
Architectural Digest
Photo Director: Michael Shome
Features Editor: Sam Cochran
Photograher: Floto + Warner
How did this project come about?
This was a commission from the Photo Director at Architectural Digest – Michael Shome.
What type of direction did you get from the magazine?
We work with Michael quite a bit, so he is familiar with how we work and see things. This gives us a bit of freedom with the approach. Our only directive was that this photograph would be featured as a full page vertical.
Where were you when you took this image?
Our vantage point is from the Choir Balcony with the massive Gallery Organ – those pipes were amazing to see so close. We get to go in some really amazing places and see things you would normally never have access to. Crossing the velvet rope in such a historic place made us feel like kids again. We were also able to stand at the alter. They were pretty open to letting us roam free.
Did you always envision this shot to be taken up so high?
Absolutely. What could be better than a God’s eye view on the sacred geometry of the cathedral?
I’m guessing that was all natural light?
Yes, we used existing light – lighting or other changes to the location were not possible. We couldn’t disrupt the visitors. We did have to hurry though because mass was going to start and that takes a very long time.
Was it difficult to compose the image?
No. This was a pretty straight forward architectural approach. However we did experiment quite a bit. There were many beautiful views.
How did you achieve this technique of the people praying?
We included some off-topic experiments, we took with a thermal camera of people praying. We shot them with a Flir thermal camera, that we rented from Home Depot.
