Following a contemporary re-imagining of The Wiz, photographer Susan Stripling, makeup artist Rachel Estabrook, stylist Lisa Jane Wright, and hair stylist Marty Thomas have teamed up again for a photo shoot with Broadway princesses—immersing them in a pool of water.
“When you work in a creative field for a living, sometimes it’s easy to forget to create just for fun outside of work assignments,” explains Stripling. “After our shoot of characters from The Wiz, we all decided that we wanted to do something super dramatic and different. I wanted to do a water shoot, and we’d discussed a Disney Princess shoot, so one inspired the other, and our theme was set.”
Modeling are Hope Easterbrook as Ariel, Khori Michelle Petinaud as Tiana, Courtney Reed as Jasmine, Ellenore Scott as Belle and Laura Osnes as Rapunzel.
“We were initially going to shoot outside,” Stripling continues, “but with the temperature fading fast, I didn’t want the models to be cold. We moved the shoot indoors, and I filled a black-lined children’s pool with water right in my Brooklyn living room—don’t tell my landlords!”
Below is an exclusive look at the finished product, and Stripling shares her inspiration behind each look.
When casting a Jasmine, who better than Jasmine herself? I adore Courtney Reed; she’s infectiously funny and endlessly charming. LJ styled her by draping her with a variety of fabric and jewelry, and the swirling fabric worked extremely well with the water. Marty’s simple-yet-dramatic ponytail was a great complement to Rachel’s makeup. I especially loved the blue hair ties around the ponytail and the blue eyeshadow on her inner eyes. Combined together, it really made her whole look pop.
I’ve been a huge fan of Ellenore Scott for years, and her enormous doe eyes and gorgeous skin made her a natural choice for Belle. I love how LJ styled her with the classic golden Belle fabric, but keeping it modern with the sequined top. LJ is an extraordinary stylist, and her work is really shown off beautifully here. Marty pulled her hair into a simple bob, and Rachel kept her makeup natural, really focusing on emphasizing her gorgeous eyes and glowing skin.
Hope Easterbrook has been my favorite fiery redhead since our first shoot together, so she was obviously the perfect Ariel! I love the pearls floating in the water around her neck, and the incredible fabric that LJ found to wrap around her—almost like a fishing net! Marty swept her hair off of her face really beautifully, and, of course, Rachel did a flawless job on her face—I especially love the glorious bright red lip.
Khori Petinaud is an intensely amazing performer, and is also extremely beautiful! I really think that LJ hit it out of the park with her Tiana outfit, from the hand-dyed gloves to the absolutely perfect gown. Marty gave her hair the perfect amount of drama, and Rachel’s work really emphasized her glowing skin. I love the slight metallic, watery sheen of her eyelids and lips.
Laura Osnes is as sweet as she is lovely, and was a fantastic Rapunzel. Marty really outdid himself here—her braid is a work of art. I love how it’s strewn with flowers! LJ again completely nailed the styling, with the detached sleeves and lace-trimmed top. Rachel is really a genius when it comes to her art; she kept Laura glowing and fresh, with a gentle sheen to her face that really emphasized the water.
