Lola Van Vorst‘s look enthrals photographers like a siren’s song enthrals a sailor. Her features imply a strength that’s somehow laced with vulnerability; a femininity hardened by tough independence. That look is what lured James Broadhurst into the deep.
“In my mind I was striving for a balance between Marylin Monroe and Bettie Page,” says James of his shoot with the model. To that end, stylist Rhiannon Bulley dressed Van Vorst in outfits that nod to Page’s fierce fetishism, while her poses and expressions vary from sultry to soft. Broadhurst’s soundtrack to this shoot was the electro-rollarcoaster of Goldfrapp’s Black Cherry, an album that itself mirrors the changes in character from Page to Monroe: whip-cracking beats and grinding electric bass on one track replaced by breathy vocals and dreamy soundscapes on the next.
In one striking shot Lola shares a kiss with her own mirror image, a bit of post-production trickery that twists the mind.
For all of James Broadhurst’s shoot Lady Van Vorst click on the thumbnails above.
You can check out more of James’ photography portfolio at jamesbroadhurst.4ormat.com.
