"The organization was highly impressive because, on Inauguration Day, we had something like twelve crews all around town. Once they were set in position, they could not move. I was the person in the White House. I was waiting for the President and Melania to come back at the end of the day. It was kind of interesting. How else do you have the occasion to see the center of power?"
"Also, it was interesting to figure out how to photograph Melania. Photographing human faces is always really interesting, especially female faces. The key is not so much about beauty photography. It's about making sure that you take away distracting elements from a face. When you take away distracting elements from a face, you can let the original beauty of the person come out and reveal itself and become interesting."
"So you take out the distracting elements? If you light the face, yes. If someone has an irregularity or something destructive, it takes away from the natural beauty, from the interest of a human face. You take the distracting element away, and now the face reveals itself for what it is. And it becomes interesting for the viewer. Beautiful, and interesting for the viewer."
Filming occurred as a documentary on Inauguration Day with about twelve crews positioned around town that could not move once set. A crew member remained inside the White House waiting for the President and Melania to return at the end of the day. The White House appeared as a beautiful center of power that invited curiosity. Observations about the President were described as superficial and no political opinions were offered. Photographing Melania focused on studying human faces, particularly female faces, by removing distracting elements and applying lighting to reveal original beauty and viewer interest. Critics labeled the film a potential payoff and propaganda.
Read at The New Yorker
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