Natalie Glebova was crowned Miss Universe in Thailand. She loves the culture and country so much that she left her native Canada (formerly Russia) to take residence there. I had an opportunity to photograph her in Bangkok. For more info about her story, check out her wikipedia.
A few days prior to my shoot, I had the good fortune to meet Amm Panisara Chompaisal. At the time, Amm was in charge of the Thailand Mac Cosmetic Team. We made a good connection and thanks to Amm, we had a 6-Member hair and makeup team, a hotel to shoot at the 5-Star Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel and a very very good Thai fashion designer. It truly was a lot of work for Amm and I am forever thankful for her generous time and, of course, Natalie’s time as well.
On the topic of shooting fashion or beauty in water, this shoot unleashed a new approach and new inspiration. Rather than do the conventional studio beauty shoot, a nice pool like this is a superb backdrop and less of a cliché beauty shoot. Prerequisite: water-resistant makeup. Can you imagine a splotchy face or eye liner streaming down the cheek? Another key factor is the beauty of the swimming pool and model. This was the only dress that I brought on the trip to Bangkok. It was designed by Max Azria and held up very well in the pool.
NOTE: The fashion part of our shoot will be posted soon and will be linked here.
Natalie’s Instagram is: @natalieglebova
