Midsummer Daydream: Capturing Timeless Elegance for ELLE Kazakhstan

Fashion editorial photograph featuring female Asian American model Mei Li Zheng, outdoors in a lush green garden under blue skies, wearing couture designer jewelry, a purple satin puff sleeve top with lace and crystal applique sleeve, and fringe skirt.

blouse and skirt set ALICIA PERRILLO, necklace LUNAVERSOUL

It’s currently 2:30AM as I’m typing this. I should be getting some well-needed rest and preparing for the day ahead, but I’m completely overtaken with joy and excitement to share my latest fashion editorial for ELLE Kazakhstan! Though I have been getting my work published in fashion magazines for a little over 8 years now, and running my own publication for 2 years, it has always been my goal to shoot for a major publication. I’m over the moon that ELLE  has now given me the chance to showcase my work on a global platform.

This editorial was the brainchild of my friend Tess Elizabeth, who served as creative director and fashion stylist on the shoot. She had reached out to me after I shared a Facebook post looking to work with new talent. Tess is an amazing photographer herself, recently transitioning into styling and an immense creative talent. I immediately knew I wanted to work with her.

Asian-American female fashion model Mei Li Zheng wearing a custom bejeweled gold Indian Sherwani, baby blue leggings, and silver designer shoes, standing in the center of a Rococo and Baroque style bedroom.

coat NAZRANAA, shoes MADISON MAISON

Asian-American female fashion model Mei Li Zheng bathed in a warm room light, sitting in a vintage baroque-era chair, wearing designer gold and red jacket and pants set, gold tiger striped shoes on top of a white fur carpet, floral arrangement next to her

jacket and pants set MAYA SEYFERTH, scarf TESS ELIZABETH VINTAGE, shoes TINAMARIA

We booked a location here in Los Angeles, California that provided us with the Rococo and floral feel of the story. It was a warm sunny spring afternoon when we started, bathing us in delicious natural light. The original concept was clashing patterns, and a hard flash. But as we went through the house and noticed all the amazing spots the location offered, we realized it would have been a waste not to showcase as much as possible while staying true to our story. Thus, for the second portion of our shoot, we used the bountiful sun as our light source and added additional scenes in the garden. 

We had about 3 hours at the location, which is where my e-commerce training really came through. We also had an amazing team who all knew what they were doing which allowed us to move swiftly through our shot list.

Assisting me was my friend Caspen, a co-star I had met on the set of Cowboy, Choker, Harness and Heart two summers ago. Also a multidisciplinary, Caspen is a dancer, creative director, actor, model, and most recently, photographer! On hair, we had Kristina Donahue and for makeup, Edith Bogarin, both of whom are Tess’s friends. This was my first time meeting them and I would work with both of them again in the future. Miriam Acosta, also Tess’s friend, was our set assistant and filmed behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot. I had worked with her previously on another editorial I did with Tess, yet to be published but shot before ELLE. Funny how that works!

Asian-American female model Mei Li Zheng sits in a pink garden chair, a pot of pink and white flowers on a bust atop a tea table next to her. Mei Li wears a vintage blazer, shorts from Dolce & Gabbana, and black designer shoes from Tinamarie.

top TESS ELIZABETH VINTAGE, shorts DOLCE & GABBANA, shoes TINAMARIE

Asian-American female model Mei Li Zheng stares into the camera as she is playing with a chess set, with a pot of flowers in the foreground. Mei Li wears a blue velvet designer jacket, and gold designer necklace with diamonds. Behind her, floral curtains.

jacket FRANCESCA COTTONE, necklace ALESSANDRA RICH

Black and white portrait of female Asian-American model Mei Li Zheng as she walks through a garden with the sun to her back.

top and skirt set ALICIA PERRILLO, necklace LUNAVERSOUL

And I can’t forget our stunning model Mei Li, sent to us by Mazza Models. Hailing from New York, she knew how to move quickly and get the job done. A real no-nonsense gal. Her ethereal presence and graceful movements through the garden perfectly embodied the dreamy, sun-kissed theme we aimed to achieve.

The entire story was photographed on 35mm film and 120 film, and I shot digital backups as always. As the shoot went on, one of our crew members dropped my Mamiya RB67 on the grass, ejecting the film back. I thought we’d lose a big portion of our shoot due to the film being exposed to the light, but luckily everything turned out fine. And shockingly wrapped early. In hindsight, we probably could have taken a little more time to catch more creative moments, but we were able to get all the shots that were planned and that’s better than running behind and not completing the shot list.

If you’re a photographer and want to know how I created these shots, comment below and follow me on Instagram and TikTok! I plan on going more in-depth on my photography process, as well as releasing my recommended gear list to photographers who want to learn. Don’t forget to share with your friends as well so we can all go on this journey together!

If you’re a creative in the fashion industry and would like to work together, email me and we can create extraordinary visual stories that captivate and elevate your brand. 

photographer Ty Chen @tychenphotography
fashion stylist and creative director Tess Elizabeth @tesselizabethw
model Mei Li Zheng @meilivzheng @ Mazza Models and ONE Management 
hair Kristina Donahue @kristina.hairs
makeup Edith Bogarin @edie.mua
photographer’s assistant Caspen @caspenstudios
set assistant and BTS Miriam Acosta @itsmmwrld
special thanks to Wear the Future & Tyler James

View the full story: https://elle.com.kz/midsummer-daydream-jekskljuzivnaja-semka-dlja-elle-kazakhstan/


Keep dreaming and creating.

contact@ty-chen.com

Hope you enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look! Got a vision for your brand? Let’s make it happen together.