Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott

Mert and Marcus are a power duo that help create some of the worlds most interesting advertisement photography. They bring a sense of visual mystery to their photos by playing with experimental color lights and using makeup rich models. These genius photographers have landed numerous high end fashion covers such as Vogue, W Magazine, and Pop Magazine. Their client list is rich with such celebrities as Madonna, Victoria Beckham, and Bjork. 

This specific photo shoot featured the young Natalie Portman for a spread in an old W Magazine. Portman brought a unique style to the shoot by donning teased hair, intense dark makeup, and dead flowers. This set up Mert and Marcus to create a rich photo with an eerie undertone. They did this by using mostly gel filters and high contrast shadows. In this photo particularly, it seems that they used to red gel filter on a strobe that was set behind Portman. This creates the eerie halo effect that's illuminating her nest of hair. They also seem to be using a soft box to help make some highlights on her forehead and shoulder region. This would explain the high contrast shadow that is centered in the shot. This is by far one of my favorite photographs. The lighting in this photo turns what would be seen as a somewhat creepy subject matter into something that's quite lovely. The lighting in this is absolutely lovely with its rich colors and glamorous glow. This is by far one of my favorite photographs.