Darling Magazine

Editor-in-Chief and Creative Director: Sarah Dubbeldam
Photo Editor: Rebekah Shannon
Photographer: Jeremy Samuelson

Do you scout your spaces prior to the shoot?
I only scout when it is a commercial job and there are prior expectations for the shots, furniture placement and so on; but when it is an editorial shoot, I like to experience it spontaneously and respond. I always do a walk through with a compass to check the travel of light during the day.

If there’s no time to scout, do you have a punch list of questions regarding available or natural light?
I look for trees, foliage, things that might influence the light. Also in LA, most of the buildings are not multi story unlike NYC where I have to be a little more careful if I want the streaming light look.

What type of creative influences surface in your work? 
I am really interested in still life in painting and photography. That is another facet of my work but I do see interiors as giant still life images.

What changes have you seen in interior photography?
Interior design is not seen a distinct or separate category but part of a whole lifestyle, what you surround yourself with is like what you choose to wear.

If the space is giving you a challenge what are your go to solutions to create an interesting space?
One way is to break up the space and treat it as a series of vignettes.

How often do you work with Darling Magazine and where are they based?
This is my second assignment for Darling, they are based out of LA but maintain an international presence.

What type of direction did you get from the magazine?
We talked about where we would shoot the portraits, they left the depiction of the space up to me. I like to include people in the interior when I can, for scale and interest. I will often use motion just to lighten the sense of human presence. We also talked about the mix of verticals and spreads they wanted.