Courtney: A Place of Her Own — Part 1

I had the privilege of photographing Courtney in her new home.

Her apartment is tucked inside one of Hollywood’s historic buildings, the kind of place that carries a little of the neighborhood’s past with it. We wanted to play with that feeling outside, creating something with a touch of classic Hollywood glamour without making it feel like a costume. Courtney slipped into a sleek green dress and stepped into the courtyard, where the color matched perfectly to the plants and trees in the shade outside.

Looking down into the well was one of her favorite poses, which she called her “slutty Disney princess” moment.

The images had a different energy once we moved inside. Here, there was no need to create a character. Courtney was simply at home.

She lounged on the couch and stretched out on the floor in yellow overalls and a sheer bra, surrounded by the things that make her space her own. She picked up a sapphic comic book and leafed through the most graphic scenes, letting a playful sensuality become part of the scene as I’ve come to expect when working with her. I lit her entirely with the lamps in the apartment, letting the light fall naturally and keeping the atmosphere intimate and unpolished.

That was really the point of the shoot. Courtney’s sexuality isn’t something separate from her everyday personality. It was part of it. Her interests, her sense of humor, her sweetness, her curiosity and her sensuality could all exist in the same frame.

For the next set, she changed into another sheer lingerie set and took over the mirror in her bedroom. She played with the reflection from every angle, moving between cute, mischievous and unabashedly sensual. There was something especially enjoyable about watching those sides of her overlap. The images never felt like she was trying to become someone else. She was simply discovering how she wanted to be seen.

The final setup was her hanging chair, lit by a single lamp. The apartment became quieter, the frame became simpler, and Courtney gradually let the lingerie fall away.

There was one other factor we probably shouldn’t leave out: Los Angeles was in the middle of a heat wave, and the apartment had no air conditioning. We were both sweating through the entire shoot.

Strangely, that seemed appropriate.

After both of us had taken a little time away from our artistry, we needed something that felt creative again. This shoot gave us exactly that. It was beautiful, playful, sweaty, intimate and genuinely fun. More than anything, it felt like two friends getting excited about creating again.

And perhaps that’s what made the apartment such a good setting. Courtney wasn’t visiting a location for the sake of a photo shoot.

She was home.

Watch Courtney explore all sides of herself in Part 2 on Patreon.