Iconic headshots for celebrity actor Kiko Ellsworth by Shaun Alexander studios – Hollywood California
Recently I had a pleasure of working with a very talented actor and an unbelievable human being named Kiko Ellsworth, His extraordinary talent as an actor is like nothing I have ever seen in the past 30 years of my career in Hollywood as a celebrity fashion photographer. I must say our shoot was magical and here are a few words he wrote me after our amazing photo session: I believe Shaun Alexander is the most generous photographer I have ever worked with. Generous with so many things from his personal take on life to the passion he bursts with behind the camera. I was definitely impressed with the sumptuous tiramisu he shared with me after the shoot as well as the fact that he superbly hand made himself.
As soon as I walked into his studio I knew from the feel, the music, the adornments, to the costumes and his assistants that this was the kind of warm yet high calibre studio I had envisioned for this shoot. It was energetic, artsy, layered with endless possibilities and very inviting to have an all day shoot in.
Natural and effortless passion behind the camera with exciting bursts of ecstatic rapture every time he got “that” shot! I enjoyed the experience of seeing Shaun get a great shot whoever he might’ve been getting it from at the moment. Although I gotta admit, on this amazing day I was grateful it was from me.
We got this one particular shot (of many) that I swear was put together by the heavens and our angels…you had to be there for the serendipity of how this all came together…(you know when words just won’t suffice…but i’ll try)
So, out of nowhere during the middle of the shoot he pulls out this random 3/4 length brown and beige coat, we paired it with one of my hats that I, by pure chance alone, threw in the wardrobe bag last minute, to his gut instinct to switch to the perfect background….magic….pure and simple magic….what came next I never experienced before in the 15 years of my entire professional acting career.
Snap snap click click….He shows me one of the shots….. and I was literally HIT with a tidal wave of emotion that brought me to a convulsion of tears…whoa tiger…whats going on here?….Is this really happening right now? All I could do in that moment was put my head down, fist to my eyes and weep like a little baby. I know i’m a sensitive guy but damn! What I didn’t know, was that I was waiting for a shot like that for my entire acting career. What he captured in that shot was something I had been expressing on camera for many years, but never caught it in a still image. Something that expressive, raw, perfect wardrobe, masterfully lit between light and shadow….thank you Shaun. The perfect environment was created for me to be at ease and let my unique authentic light shine.
This shoot turned out so much better than I imagined! Thank you for your artistry Shaun. It brought out the best in mine!
