In 2016, I first met Priyanka Chopra while photographing her in NYC for Maxim India. A few weeks ago, I returned to New York to photograph the global superstar for her record-making 5th time topping the magazine’s Hot 100 list.

With little time to produce the shoot, we quickly set the team in motion. Our location producer in Los Angeles secured an incredible building in Brooklyn—a former rope factory—with beautifully rusted steel columns and massive sliding doors made of sheet metal. The only issue was that all the windows faced north and east, and we were shooting at sunset, which meant I would get no direct light. To compensate, we placed mirrors on the roof landing, redirecting the sunbeams directly into the warehouse, which created stunning rays of light. (For detailed lessons on using fog & creating light rays see Mastering Lighting.)

Because Priyanka had a flight to catch that day, we had 45 minutes to complete the entire shoot (a luxury compared to the 12 minutes I had on this infamous Christmas Card.) The Quantico star effortlessly delivered another iconic cover, and I’m grateful to the team that helped us pull off a memorable shoot.

Go behind-the-scenes in the video below.

PRIYANKA CHOPRA
Styling: MIMI CUTTRELL
Hair: CAMERON RAINS
Makeup: YUMI MORI
Production Coordinator: KEVIN SAVARESE

One of the most enjoyable aspects of photographing actors is the research stage. What’s more fun than watching movies to learn about your upcoming cover model? On the flight to Mumbai, I was happy to find the latest film starring Maxim India‘s November muse, actress Disha Patani, in Jackie Chan’s Kung Fu Yoga. Mr. Chan clearly has an eye for rising Bollywood talent, as he did when he cast Mallika Sherawat (who I photographed for Maxim India and WMB 3D) in The Myth more than a decade ago.

It’s easy to see why audiences fall for Disha. Her infectious signature smile is complemented by a sweet, sincere personality that would thaw even the uncharmable. We captured the cover shoot at Mehboob Studio in Mumbai, where I also photographed actor Ranveer Singh. Hair stylist Marce Pedrozo and makeup artist Flavia Giuliodori created gorgeous glam, and Sukriti Grover pulled stylish and sexy wardrobe.

Thanks to everyone on the team who helped create a beautiful feature. See my shoot with Disha in Maxim India‘s November issue, on stands now. Behind-the-scenes images below.

DISHA PATANI
Hair: MARCE PEDROZO
Makeup: FLAVIA GIULIODORI
Styling: SUKRITI GROVER
Production Crew: IMRAN KHATRI PRODUCTIONS
BTS Stills & Video: RISHI KHARE

In early August, just before I left for India, NBC and E! Entertainment reached out to me to photograph artwork for the new season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Coincidentally, or perhaps serendipitously, it marked exactly 10 years to the week when I first met Kim Kardashian in 2007 to photograph her for a magazine cover. I don’t need to detail just how far Kim and her family have come in a decade, and I am both thrilled and fortunate to have been able to work with them continuously throughout the years.

The shoot took place at a studio in Woodland Hills, and marked the first time I’ve captured all six ladies since the 2012 Christmas Card. Kris, Kourtney, Khloé, Kendall and Kylie all looked stunning in black, while Kim, in signature form, shattered the status quo in her star-studded bodysuit. It’s always fun to work with friends, though it’s even more incredible to marvel at how much each of them has grown since our first shoots together.

Thank you to Creative Director Bret McMichael at E! for his direction and input, as well as Janelle Albino, Cameron Cohen and Erin Clarry at NBC. Very special thanks to Kris Jenner and her family, and of course to our incredible Slickforce team for their artistry and unparalleled support.

Credits for the Season 14 artwork below. And for you Keeping Up historians, scroll down to see some of my most memorable shoots with these superstar beauties.

KRIS JENNER
Makeup: ETIENNE ORTEGA
Hair: JORGE SERRANO

KIM KARDASHIAN
Makeup: MARIO DEDIVANOVIC
Hair: CHRIS APPLETON

KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN
Makeup: MARIO DEDIVANOVIC
Hair: ANDREW FITZSIMONS

KHLOÉ KARDASHIAN
Makeup: HRUSH ACHEMYAN
Hair: JUSTINE MARJAN

KENDALL JENNER:
Makeup: MARY PHILLIPS
Hair: JUSTINE MARJAN

KYLIE JENNER:
Makeup: ARIEL TEJADA
Hair: ANDREW FITZSIMONS

All styling by SIMONE HAROUCHE

		August 17, 2007 – My First Shoot with Kim Kardashian
		Kim Kardashian’s 2011 Dual Calendar Shoot
		The Making of a Superstar: Kendall Jenner, Part 1 of 2
		The Making of a Superstar: Kendall Jenner, Part 2 of 2
		An inside look at the world’s hottest family in Kardashian Konfidential
		The kamera goes krazy for Kylie.
		It’s beginning to look a lot like a Kardashian Khristmas
		E! News reveals Kim Kardashian’s 3D shoot for World’s Most Beautiful
		Kardashian Kollection Intimates for Sears
		The Making of the 2012 Kardashian-Jenner Christmas Card
		WMB 3D: Kendall & Kylie Jenner at Ultimate Graveyard
		Khloe Kardashian’s Sexy Black Latex Shoot
		Behind the Scenes: Kendall & Kylie for Arthur George

When I first moved to Los Angeles for film school, and began exploring nearby locations while working as a cinematographer, I immediately fell in love with the California desert. As a lifelong East-coaster, I had only seen these seemingly endless stretches of raw land in the movies.

Years later as a magazine photographer, I found myself shooting in the Mojave desert month after month, and so it was only a matter of time before SlickforceStudio opened its own artists’ playground—Ultimate Graveyard. The property stretches more than 300 acres, and features panoramic horizon views of breathtaking mountainscapes, picturesque Joshua trees, sprawling railroad tracks, and even the stunning Milky Way at night. By popular request, we also added several “apocalyptic” features, such as abandoned vintage vehicles, sun-worn furniture, and a gutted plane shell.

This year, Ultimate Graveyard celebrates its 10th anniversary. Visit the new UltimateGraveyard.com for frequently asked questions, a blog of recent shoots, and full galleries of the various features. It’s a dream shoot location that was built for artists, by artists, and it’s available for your next production.

Drone photography by NICK SAGLIMBENI, RAFFAEL DICKRUETER & SERGEY ASTAKHOV
Time-lapse astral photography by NICK SAGLIMBENI

Video footage courtesy of these amazing productions:
ROCKET JUMP / LOOT CRATE
THE DANCE – Cheers
FRENCHIE DAVIS – Love’s Got a Hold on Me
ADAM TYLER – Friction
QUEST PISTOLS – Different
JER MASTER
DUKE INDIA – California Summer

Train to nowhere	Gutted plane shell
Plane shell at night	Abandoned Packard car

Save

This August, I returned to Mumbai for a series of editorial shoots, the first of which hit stands this week. Bollywood mega-star Ranveer Singh graces the September cover of Maxim India, seen above with the beautiful Elena Fernandes. The posh pair model the latest styles in a sprawling 14-page fashion feature.

Ranveer was a lot of fun to work with, a total ball of energy who had the entire crew smiling and laughing. We photographed the shoot at Mehboob Studio in Bandra West, with many talented crew returning from my previous India shoots—including wardrobe stylist Nikita Jaisinghani (see our Rana Daggubati cover), and makeup artist Amelia Daswani, who glammed Shibani Dandekar for me and Maxim in March 2017.

Thanks to the incredible team that helped create such a memorable shoot! Behind-the-scenes images below.

CREDITS:
Talent: RANVEER SINGH & ELENA FERNANDES
Photography: NICK SAGLIMBENI
Stylist: NIKITA JAISINGHANI
Ranveer’s Makeup: MAHADEV NAIK
Ranveer’s Hair: DARSHAN YEWALEKAR
Elena’s Hair & Makeup (Elena): AMELIA DASWANI
Ranveer’s Suits Provided by: THE ARVIND STORE
Production Crew: IMRAN KHATRI PRODUCTIONS
BTS Stills & Video: RISHI KHARE

Colosseum recently released their new Fall season athletic-wear line. In contrast to Spring’s bright colors and concept (see the Spring commercial here), we opted for a moody, industrial gym theme for this lookbook.

The shoot took place in downtown Los Angeles, with talented models Samaria Regalado and Josie Renault coming out to sport the latest gear. See the new Fall collection at http://www.colosseumactive.com/.

Here are some final images as well as behind-the-scenes from the shoot below.

Models: SAMARIA REGALADO, JOSIE RENAULT
Photography by NICK SAGLIMBENI
Makeup & Hair by SHERI CELIS
BTS Photos by JOYCE PARK

Kylie Jenner recently launched her latest product line on KylieJennerShop.com. We photographed the camouflage-themed collection last month in Hollywood, with Kylie playing her own e-com model. In sync with the creative direction of the shoot, her poses were perfectly mannequin-esque.

Knowing the KJ team was planning to run the lead image on a Santa Monica Blvd. billboard, I shot the campaign on my faithful Hasselblad 503CW and Leap Aptus-II series back—the first time I’ve used this camera since 2014.

Congrats to Kylie and her team on a successful launch that sold out the hottest items in mere minutes. See the entire collection here, and take a look at behind-the-scenes images below.

CREDITS:
Model: KYLIE JENNER
Photography: NICK SAGLIMBENI
Makeup: PATRICK TA
Hair: TOKYO STYLEZ

One of our favorite international clients recently flew to LA to create a 50th anniversary campaign for Duke India‘s fashion brand. SlickforceStudio produced the “California Dreamin'” campaign, which was shot over two days.

Day One took place at our favorite playground in the Mojave desert, Ultimate Graveyard, where the models posed on vintage vehicles, climbed plane shells, and danced along the railroad tracks.

On Day Two, we set up shop at Point Dume in Malibu, making use of the sprawling horizon views, steep cliffs, and sandy beaches.

See the 60-second commercial above, and behind-the-scenes images below. Congrats to Duke India on 50 years of success!

MODELS: Celine Farach, Maryam Zolghadr, Federico Pedroni, Austin Moreno
PHOTOGRAPHY: Nick Saglimbeni
WARDROBE STYLIST: Katie Qian
MAKEUP & HAIR: Sherri Celis, Sunny An
VIDEOGRAPHY: Derrick Cohan
BTS IMAGES: Joyce Park for SlickforceStudio

Sunset at Weligama Bay © Nick Saglimbeni / Slickforce Inc.

Shibani Dandekar by Nick Saglimbeni for Maxim © Slickforce Inc.

I spent the majority of March overseas, shooting multiple features for Maxim India, and then visiting one of the places I’ve dreamed of exploring since I was a child—mystical Sri Lanka.

Working in India with the Maxim team was an unforgettable experience. 24 hours after I landed in Mumbai, I photographed Indian film superstar Rana Daggubati, of the Bollywood blockbuster Bahubali. The mega-shoot took place at Film City Goregaon (think Universal Studios in India, a massive backlot with every environment imaginable), where we shot the cover and fashion feature in a huge soundstage. Then we headed outdoors to capture a promotional Jeep Wrangler off-road adventure in the woods. A few days later, I photographed TV host and model Shibani Dandekar in a hypercolor editorial that had the Indian entertainment blogs buzzing over her beauty.

After our Maxim shoots, I ventured south to enchanting Sri Lanka. I traveled from Colombo to Galle via train, and then continued to the southern end of the island via tuk-tuk (motorized rickshaw, photo below) to visit the legendary beaches and do some whale-watching. The sunsets were among the best and most colorful I’ve ever seen, and the people incredibly friendly. The beautiful country exceeded my expectations, and I look forward to going back.

The April issue of Maxim India is on stands now. My thanks to publisher Vivek Pareek and his amazing team for hosting me on my Indian adventures. Behind-the-scenes photos and travelogue images below.

CREDITS:
Cover shoot – Rana Daggubati, with models Riya Ray and Carolina Nalerio
Stylist: Nikita Jaisinghani
Rana’s Groomer: Aalim Hakim
Hair & Makeup: Rashmi Shastri
Photographed by Nick Saglimbeni

Shibani Dandekar Shoot
Stylist: Chandni Bahri
Makeup: Amelia
Hair: Ayesha Mulla
Photographed at the JW Marriott Mumbai by Nick Saglimbeni

Film City BTS by Sana Chhabra
All other images © Nick Saglimbeni / Slickforce Inc.

Shibani Dandekar for Maxim © Slickforce Inc.	Carolina Nalerio for Maxim © Slickforce Inc.
Rana Daggubati for Maxim / Jeep © Slickforce Inc.	Reviewing photos w/ Rana & Maxim publisher Vivek Pareek
Maxim India April Cover (color variant) by Nick Saglimbeni	Team Maxim India with Rana Daggubati

Shooting the Maxim cover at Film City Goregaon, Mumbai

My star model in Sri Lanka, two year-old Iruki	Sunset in Weligama, Sri Lanka
Colorful tuk-tuk in Colombo, Sri Lanka	Polwatta River in Weligama, Sri Lanka

Crystal coast at Midigama, Sri Lanka © Nick Saglimbeni / Slickforce Inc.

This summer had us capturing and creating images non-stop for the booming Kylie Cosmetics line. In addition to the flurry of new colors make-up mogul Kylie Jenner has released throughout 2016, summer brought its share of unique launch events, including Kylie’s birthday and a Kylie & friends campaign showcasing new lip colors designed for different skin tones—most notably the oft-overlooked darker complexions.

The Birthday Edition series features stunning gold packaging, new eye-shadow powders, and limited-edition exclusive lip colors. We also had the pleasure of working with wonderful lip models Kayla & Lindsay from The Lip Swatch, who pursed the perfect poses for the camera.

Kylie’s crew gives new meaning to the term “squad goals”, so it was only appropriate that they would all get in front of the camera to introduce a new line of lip colors designed to complement specific skin complexions. Each of the talented ladies struck a stunning portrait on her own, though the group shots made the campaign shine brightest by capturing an unmistakable chemistry between friends.

View the campaign shots above and below, and look for exclusives on Kylie Jenner‘s and the Kylie Cosmetics‘ instagrams!

Photography by NICK SAGLIMBENI
Models: KYLIE JENNER, JORDYN WOODS, JUSTINE SKYE, ANASTASIA KARANIKOLAOU
Makeup on Kylie by HRUSH ACHEMYAN
Makeup on Jordyn, Justine by ETIENNE ORTEGA
Makeup on Stas by SAMUEL RAUDA
Hair by JONATHAN COLOMBINI