Rutgers Magazine - Mary Howard

(MUSIC) A set designer, I think most people will understand this if I talked about it
in terms of movies.
A production designer in a movie creates the world for the action to take place, for the
story to take place and we do that the same for both photography believe it or not.
When you see these photos in these ads or these editorials in Vogue and so on there
is quite a lot of work that goes into these pictures.
My name is Mary Howard.
I got my M.F.A in painting and performance and now I have my own studio - Mary Howard
Studio which is production design and set design for fashion photography.
Every job is different in terms of what the client wants wether it's Vogue or Prada or
Louis Viton or the photographer even wants to bring their voice to the picture so it's
a lot of different opinions.
It's a lot of cooks in the kitchen.
Well, to me the set is everything!
But the makeup artist may say it's all about the makeup.
The hair stylist will say it's all about the hair.
The lighting would say it's all about the lighting.
The photographer would say I'm the one that created this image.
So I think we all come together and do it but to me it's the physical set that is the
narrative, that does tell the story.
Iconic photos that I've been a part of - we did the cover of Vanity Fair with Caitlyn
Jenner.
That was kind of a big moment.
The December cover of Vogue right now is Michelle Obama in the garden at the White House.
I have moments of wow!
You know it's kind of hard to believe that people pay me, pay for us to paint clouds
on a... it's fun.
It is a little crazy.
You can't quite believe it, I'm just so grateful that people love looking at things because
I do to.
You know I just enjoy making things.
(MUSIC)

Rutgers Magazine - Mary Howard

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