‘ello Gov’nor
It is fun to shoot with politicians, as I follow the news and contemporary affairs, but they’re usually the least playful subjects. Most people who are successful are creative and open to trying something fresh, but politicians know that even a small misstep can be magnified into a bad story. I’m sympathetic until I get an assignment, and then I focus on the session.
Governor Mikie Sherrill was a timely subject, as she had just won election to head New Jersey in a tight race. She’s from my town of Montclair, although I’ve never met her before. Ironically, my daughter Olive and her friends got a selfie with Sherrill on election day, and I joked with the governor that her team posting that picture pushed them to victory.
I am so client-focused once shooting, that I need to think through any extra shots thoroughly before the shoot day, as they just fall out of my brain once I’m on set and trying to nail the executions for the magazine.
It was key that I make a picture that aligned with my style, while also making her look good. I've long recognized the contradiction in photographing women. I look to make a dynamic photograph of them as people, and in this case, a person of high achievement, while also fitting within the expected beauty standard of our culture.
When I first started getting commissions like this I took Irving Penn as my north star. When he shot fashion stories, he showed the women as exceptional creatures, and when he made a portrait of a high achieving woman, like writers Carson McCullers or Anais Nin, he showed them as an important and fascinating human, but not feminine beauty personified.
One of her staff members vetoed the first set up, and then the transition to finding commonalities was awkward, but we got there. Luckily, we had a number of things to talk about, like our children struggling in the same high school class, and both living in Montclair. It turns out that we go to the same dentist!
Top Two Images: My favorite portraits from the session with Governor Mikie Sherrill. Trenton, NJ, January 21, 2026.
Bottom Image: Candidate Sherrill poses with high school kids outside Java Love Coffee in downtown Montclair, NJ on the day of the election. This photo, featuring Emma and Leila, along with Olive, is posted on the Mikie Sherrill Instagram and swings the election in her favor. (Photo courtesy Gov Sherrill’s office)