Pop-Up Photo Studio: Vanity Fair Portrait Salon
Welcome to the future of photobooths: the Vanity Fair portrait salon. Modeled after the annual Vanity Fair Oscar Party Portrait Studio by Mark Seliger. It is actually pretty simple in theory. There is a gorgeous backdrop, perfect lighting, a few props, and a professional portrait photographer to pose you for your photo. You also need about a 10×20 footprint and a table for the screen so that folks can see their photos in real-time.
I had the pleasure of assisting Procopio Photography at a wedding planned by Rex and Regina (not me!) at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. I was there as part grunt, part flat lay stylist, and part portrait studio assistant. It was a 15-hour day but since I had such diverse and changing roles, it went by quickly!
Portrait Salon: Cool Couples
From stoic to smiling to the sweetest ever, we saw it all in the photo studio with these couples.
Give me smoldering, I said. The black tie dress code really helps emulate the Vanity Fair style.
Photo Booth: Good Groups
Of course, we made portraits of a bunch of larger groups as well. These will be coming soon to holiday cards near you, I am sure.
Pro tip: keep your jacket and shoes on. It will probably look better in the end. That said, I doo like the first photo on the left below, the man without his jacket fits in with the casual grouping and mix of facial expressions. Plus he has the right sort of drink as a prop. Don’t bring in “colorful” beer bottles. Vanity Fair would not approve. (Side note: I almost brought a trophy with me for this, but at the last minute, I couldn’t find it.)
My refrain when people are sitting: extend up from your tailbone and think tall thoughts!
Portrait Pop-Ups ala Vanity Fair:
I really appreciate the folks who were willing to take a chance, take a risk, and do something a little out of the box. That is what we were there for, after all! And once you took my weird photo, you get to take a more traditional portrait to your liking.
Pop Up Portrait Studio: Fashion Moments
I had spotted these guests and their fab fashion early on in the evening, and I could not wait for them to step into the photo salon. This studio wasn’t open until after dinner, due to the flow of the event. If possible, open your portrait salon earlier in the night, while people look super fresh. If it can be the first thing they do when they arrive at your wedding, even better!
Vanity Fair Portrait Salon: Cute Couples
Some couples knew precisely what they wanted because this is what they always do in photos, which is cool with me!
Pop Up Photo Studio: Goofy Guests
These friends were super fun because they were game to get a little weird in the portrait studio. They didn’t even really need prompting from us!
Vanity Fair Portrait Salon: Photobombs
There were two primary sources of photobombs at this portrait salon. First was the catering staff because we were set up right by their kitchen—there was nothing we could do about that. But the second kind came from guests just walking into their friends’ portraits. Don’t worry, we can edit them out.
Pop Up Photo Studio: Stepbrothers
You know what we mean by Stepbrothers, right? It’s not my jam, but there were multiple requests for this portrait.
As a reminder, this was not my wedding. It was planned by my dear friend Rex and Regina. Photos are by Procopio. Venue was NMWA. Props from Fabrications. Video by Bowen Films.
Did you get here because you were looking for NMWA weddings? If so, click there.
