Behind the Scenes for Vogue Magazine
At the crossroads of Manchuria and Siberia, in the grassy fields of Mongolia, in the “Khavriin Khavsraga” the wind chill of spring reddens the faces of the nomadic shepherds living in their yurts. Rosy cheekbones and noses, the look of lips cracked from the cold. A powdery foundation from the dusty steppes, wild-flower nails, folk hats, head pieces, rustic jewellery and magnificent colorful tops.
Here we are, with Pernille, in Genghis Khan’s Kingdom, in the steppes of Ulan Bator.
Behind the scenes video
In the steppes of Ulan Bator
Pernille Moeller Vogue Brazil Beleza by Benjamin Kanarek
Pernille Moeller Vogue Brazil Beleza by Benjamin Kanarek
Pernille Moeller Vogue Brazil Beleza by Benjamin Kanarek
Pernille Moeller Vogue Brazil Beleza by Benjamin Kanarek
Pernille Moeller Vogue Brazil Beleza by Benjamin Kanarek
The team:
Photography & Co-Creative Direction: Benjamin Kanarek
Co-Creative Direction & Video: Frédérique Renaut
Model: Pernille Moeller @ Next Agency
Fashion Editor: Nick Cox
Makeup by Topolino @ Calliste Agency
Hair by Vincent De Moro @ Agence Aurélien
Manicure by Typhaine Kersual @ Jed Root
Set Design by Anna Carage @ Dessine-Moi une Vitrine
Digital Retouch: Freddy Baby, Paris
1st Photo Assistant: Audrey Saulem
2nd Photo Assistant: Thomas Cauchoix
Special Thanks to Jacques Renaut for additional outdoor images.
To Isa Maïsa for all of her support and Marvin Kanarek for providing the music for the video.
This article is republished from Benjamin Kanarek’s blog: Pernille Moeller in VOGUE Brazil by Benjamin Kanarek – Mongolian Fashion Influences
Benjamin Kanarek
Benjamin Kanarek is an international fashion and beauty photographer. Ben is currently based in Paris, where he shoots for several of the International Editions of Harper's BAZAAR and VOGUE Magazines, and L’Officiel Paris etc. View more of his work at BenjaminKanarek.com and BenjaminKanarekBlog.com.
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July 14, 2016 at 1:48 am, Dinar said:
I don’t see a “Video” in here, and if there is one it should not be hard to find.
The Photographer may not be responsible for that, however the person who put this article together is no professional !
July 13, 2016 at 2:04 pm, ATAVU5 said:
Not a fan of the lighting, or the set.
July 13, 2016 at 1:08 pm, Allen Taylor said:
MM is promoting this again, but the video (the BTS part) is not loading.
July 13, 2016 at 1:00 pm, markthetog said:
I can’t see the video no matter the browser. Fine studio shots though.
February 01, 2013 at 12:41 pm, Alexey Sky said:
Interesting theme, great model, plenty of effort and thank you for the video!
July 07, 2012 at 12:38 pm, LazPhoto said:
A concept executed extremely well ! A wonderful collaboration of talent finishing in a beautiful set of images. You have a fantastic team. It’s great to see the work that went into creating these shots. Initially appeared as if they were taken outdoors.
Great vision and directing, and thank you so much for sharing Mr. Benjamin Kanarek.
June 13, 2012 at 1:45 am, Fashion Studio said:
Ben, I would like to do an interview with you. Please get in touch! 🙂
June 11, 2012 at 8:12 am, Savannah Brooke Gross said:
Wow you do amazing work! I am a Model from Vero Beach, Florida!
June 10, 2012 at 5:25 pm, Peter said:
I’m really surprised by all the negative feedback. I did not at all feel this was an advert for Ben.
What I am most surprised about in the comments is the amount of “handholding” that apparently photographers want from more successful ones. First, LONG before Ben virtually all variations of lighting had been tried and employed both successfully and as failures. Why would someone even be surprised that the lighting arrangement wasn’t extraordinary? If anyone caught it, Ben was the co-creative director… meaning that the final product carried forth from his (and another’s) vision. The real thing that separates top artists from less successful ones is not the angle of the light, or the location of the shoot, or the colours involved. Its the IDEAS, and the ability to do what is necessary to bring those ideas to life.
Start there, always start with an idea, and let the idea be the guide, techniques will be learned in the quest of fulfilling that vision.
June 10, 2012 at 8:10 am, Thrills Seeker said:
It was educational for me to see the lighting setup ( beauty dish and a couple of kickers..OK, I can do that ), the pre-planning ( storyboarding is always a good idea for a movie so why not a multi-look fashion shoot; btw, who did that? ) the amount of support needed ( just the wardrobe alone would sink a battleship…can’t do that), the way a top Paris model works this kind of image and the size of the team involved ( can’t manage that). Ben, I wish maybe you had talked to the camera about your f-stop and lens choice and what you were going for in your lighting (why you used the reflector in some shots etc).
But all in all, it made me think..Ya know, I could do that. 🙂 BTW, I’ve been to Ulan Bator and the rest of Mongolia. Try the Three Camel Lodge for an adventure. 🙂
June 09, 2012 at 10:36 pm, Peter Rodrick said:
I just don’t see anything special about the images. I know I’m not a Vogue photographer, but the images aren’t brilliant. To use an old saying, I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like, I don’t really care too much for the images. There would be a lot of different ways to shoot this to take advantage of the colours, style and culture. I also would have gone with an Asian/ Eurasian model.
June 09, 2012 at 9:19 am, Lillian Pierson said:
Absolutely and devastatingly beautiful!!
June 09, 2012 at 7:43 am, Excellent make up said:
Already seen this, yet seeing well done work is always worth reviewing. What is extraordinary is the quality of the make up done exactly right, and delightful with each change. Still struggling with others not seeing this, which restricts each shoot.
What Topolino ( little mouse in Italian) does is not harder than any one else but it’s the understanding of what works that makes it just right.
Nice that you continue sharing Ben.
June 08, 2012 at 7:56 pm, Jose Luis said:
Thanks for sharing! Good stuff! I think its very education to see how people who are doing big things work.
June 08, 2012 at 4:24 pm, George Richard Wilkes said:
For me, this WAS educational. I’ve been on the sets of numerous movie and TV productions (as an extra or “background” performer), and I was surprised at how much laid-out planning went into this shoot. I’d say it seemed to be even more so than for film/TV-show setups.
I was also surprised that the shot of the model that accompanied the link to the video was shot indoors – so I learned something about how that is done or can be done.
Of course, if someone already knows all this, then the video may not be educational for them. Still, just watching ANYONE do a professional shoot can be educational inasmuch as even an experienced person can, I believe, learn something from someone else’s activities.
I was impressed at (as someone mentioned) the “eye contact” (more like “eye power,” I’d say) of the model – important.
I did see the whole video but didn’t hear anything about making the model look Asian. I’ll assume that this is true. Perhaps a BIT of Asian is what was meant, inasmuch as Siberia, etc., isn’t just Asian people, per my understanding. Unfortunately, Khan’s conquests resulted in the rape of Caucasian women (sorry we’re getting pretty dark here), resulting in Caucasians with a bit of Asian appearance in some areas – perhaps that was the look intended.
As it turns out, the model’s eyes DID look a bit “Asian” in at least one shot – due, I believe, to, basically will-power on the model’s part – magic, basically – mind over matter, or what have you.
As for men being in charge: Well, men have been the leaders of the Western world going back at least as far back as Plato (it wasn’t Plato’s mom or girlfriend or wife who did the writings, correct?). Now that the U.S. and Europe have busied themselves in knocking white males off their “perch,” look at the economic results right now! Not a good thing – so be glad if/when men ARE in charge and are doing things per their, frankly speaking, greater capability (by and large), as has been shown over the last few millennia.
Bless you all.
June 10, 2012 at 3:14 am, Benjamin Kanarek said:
I’m glad you found something interesting in this shoot. That by the way was a labor of love.
June 08, 2012 at 1:58 pm, Oscareroe said:
amazing work Ben
June 08, 2012 at 11:50 am, Bigdaddytodd1962 said:
there is lots of info. u get to see what and who it takes to be at the top of the fashion photography industry. u get to see that the light set up was very standard. nothing that U can not do! u get to see what type of eye contact and presence a professional model brings to ur photo. There was no down side to this but if i looked carefully there were no women calling any shots..just men……and in the video the photographer tells the make up artist ” to make them look asian”…….why not hire asian models?!…..one day the fashion industry will get around to being more inclusive as opposed to the ‘exclusive’ it is now!
June 08, 2012 at 12:09 pm, Benjamin Kanarek said:
I just shot China’s N°1 Chinese Model Du Juan for VOGUE China 😉
June 08, 2012 at 8:33 pm, incorrect said:
@ Bigdaddy – This isn’t the appropriate platform for your politically correct agenda.
June 08, 2012 at 11:40 am, Bigdaddytodd1962 said:
incredible team! made the photogs job so easy!
June 08, 2012 at 10:14 am, Peter Barron said:
Am I missing something? How is this an education article? It’s an advertisement for Kanarek. There’s no information here. There’s no education here.
This section is becoming a new home for uninformed opinion and self promotion.
June 08, 2012 at 11:40 am, Benjamin Kanarek said:
Have you actually watched the video? I really don’t need any advertising…really 🙂
July 13, 2016 at 6:39 pm, Chris Estonia said:
I think he could not see the video as it is not displayed on my browser either.
July 13, 2016 at 6:42 pm, Chris Estonia said:
oops just realized this was 4 years back. Why is Model Mayhem sending me the link in an email now?
June 08, 2012 at 12:27 pm, Leonid S. Knyshov said:
I see the exact lighting.
The detail on the chopped lips was pretty interesting. I love how they created a location shoot with just a handful of inexpensive props.
The nail work was definitely interesting. 🙂
For a photographer who knows how to shoot beauty, this might not be too interesting, but think about it from a model’s perspective. This is what they dream of being.
P.S. This is amusing. MM went with Disqus for comments here, so our MM profiles are not linked to comments. My friends who follow me on Disqus will be very confused about what am I doing here.
June 11, 2012 at 11:03 pm, Sonia said:
Not all models would do well with such heavy and time consuming costume changes and this model was fantastic. It was a nice production team and they got gorgeous results. I would LOVE to work with such a talented team, the concept was dreamy and fantastical, not about reality at all, ancient and futuristic simultaneously. Amazing.
June 08, 2012 at 6:03 pm, C Drzymalski said:
Educational; nomadic shepherds living in their yurts.
June 08, 2012 at 7:14 pm, Not Impressed said:
Agreed. The only valuable information here is how cheap Vogue shoots are becoming and the amount of post work that is required as a result.
June 09, 2012 at 10:39 pm, Peter Rodrick said:
You mean these are THE final images?!
June 11, 2012 at 5:55 am, Not Impressed said:
For this to have been effective it should have been shot on location, been a fashion story and not a beauty story, featured a more appropriate model etc. etc. etc. In short, I’m afraid so. A lot of fashion photographers shoot definitive stories, this is not one of those. This will not be ‘the’ Genghis Khan-Chic story anyone will remember. It’s not horrible but it is just standard Vogue beauty. If it sells some make-up in Brazil, great, it did the job.
June 11, 2012 at 10:58 pm, Soniabelliveau said:
C’mon, sour grapes! That was a lovely show of many talents coming together and creating beauty. Its hard work on everyone’s part.
Kudos to the lot of them.
June 12, 2012 at 4:51 am, Benjamin Kanarek said:
Thanks Sonia