New York State Of Mind
Clove & Twine 2024 Lookbook
New York has a way of reminding you that control is just an illusion which, as it turns out, is a gift to any creative.
For the 2024 Clove & Twine Lookbook, I wanted to channel that wild NYC energy. The sense that life is happening all around you and you’re lucky enough to capture a small piece of it.
We flew to New York in early April — our most developed, most organized, and still somehow scrappy production yet. The plan was ambitious but clear...bring Clove & Twine’s brand story to life through the texture of the city itself. Brownstones... Bridges... I wanted to capture imperfect beauty that felt truly alive.
It rained for most of our shoot days. At first, I thought it was a freaking nightmare! A logistical mess waiting to happen. But it turned out to be the best gift New York could’ve given us. The streets were like mirrors, and the crowds thinned. We had entire corners of the city to ourselves. In NYC...what? The rain softened the edges and gave every image that cinematic, just-lived-in feel.
Our small team of three moved around like the locals, weaving through neighborhoods with ALL our gear in hand. We met up with four New York-based models and spread out across the city: the brownstones of Brooklyn, the iconic lines of the Brooklyn Bridge, and the first pink blush of cherry blossoms in Central Park.
Each scene told a different story. The essence of classic New York moments. Walking to the subway with a bouquet of flowers in hand. Working from a corner cafe, eating pizza in a hotel, embracing the nightlife...I really wanted the images to feel familiar like a tribute to the everyday poetry the city brings.
Back in Denver, I shifted gears into still-life mode. Prop styling and photographing the product shots that would balance the movement of the New York campaign. I wanted those frames to feel quieter like the pause between scenes to really ground the book.
Behind the scenes: the drops
I knew I wanted a drop photo, something that said, oh f*ck.
It was for a section in the book we called “The Obituaries.” What better way to visualize that than spilled milk? Or should I say, dropped ice cream.
We went for both coffee and ice cream. Both shots were captured in a single take, which honestly felt like a dang miracle. The ice cream photo was all whimsy. The coffee shot though had that splash! Look at the way it arched through the air! What a perfect little disaster.
Ultimately, the coffee won. Its motion, the color of it against the wet pavement... oooieee it was everything I wanted the “Obituaries” section to say: that even when something goes wrong, there’s beauty in the spill. Just kidding, I just wanted it to say oh f*ck.
My favorite NYC moment: After Dark
The After Dark shoot was by far my favorite
from the 2024 Lookbook.
It felt effortless! It was the kind of shoot where the energy in the room matches the photos you capture.
Alli, our go-to stand-in model/project manager, brought along her friend who lived a neighborhood over. We ordered a massive pizza, poured champagne (or maybe it was water hmm? who can remember at that hour), blasted music, and just let it unfold.
There wasn’t a very detailed shot list. There wasn’t over-direction. Just laughter, movement, and a sense that this moment...two women, a pizza box, a Friday night in New York WAS the story.
What came out of that night were some of my favorite images of the entire book. They felt real. Not styled to be casual, but actually casual. They are the kind of images that reminded me why I fell in love with photography in the first place.
Sometimes the best creative direction is simply saying, keep going, it’s perfect just like this.
When it all came together, it felt like the most editorial lookbook we had ever produced. It was cohesive, intentional, and most importantly alive.
This was the project that set my soul on fire. Everything flowed. Every challenge felt like choreography that I now knew the steps to. I was fully in my photography element ... leading with instinct, trusting the rain, and watching it all click into place.
