Queen Latifah, Upper East Side NY, 1993. This was my first shoot with Queen Latifah, for Essence magazine, at the beginning of her career. Of course, she’s Queen Latifah, so I came up with this whole queen concept. I sourced jewelry, found this regal chair, and rented an old convent on the Upper East Side. I even found a taxidermy leopard...easier to find than you might think. It took like four hours just to get her hair into this position - a crown. It was this very elegant, queen-like image that really depicted her power.Since then, we’ve become friends, and I’ve photographed her many times over the years. Queen Latifah has been so many different things for me, but most often and always, she’s been elegant, and regal.
