A few days before Thanksgiving, mogul/manager/matriarch Kris Jenner asked me to photograph the annual Kardashian/Jenner family portrait, which they’ve historically released just prior to Christmas. This was an exciting opportunity for me, primarily because it marked the first time I would have the entire family together in one room.

Having photographed nearly all of them individually throughout the last year, I knew each of their particular poses, facial expressions, and subtle nuances. But I wanted to do something different—less smiley and happy than I’ve done in the past—but something more gothic and stark—alluding to family portraits of Victorian era aristocracy, with little expression and the focus on mere presence.

I believe a family portrait should tell a story. In this case, I took a look back at the growth the Kardashian/Jenner family experienced in the last two years. Kris had only weeks before completed the remodeling of her home, which featured huge black-and-white marble tiles, high ceilings, and sprawling staircases. I blocked out the positions of the family members, paying special note to the couplings of Kourtney & Scott and Khloé & Lamar, as well as Kendall’s growing prominence in the media spotlight. I also felt that it was very important to capture this “turning point” moment in their family history, as it marked the first appearance of young Mason.

Hair, make-up, and wardrobe did a fabulous job as always, though as you can imagine it takes a while to get an entire family through the process. And as if having every Kardashian mini-mogul in the room wasn’t pressure enough, Rob had to leave to catch a flight, which gave me a pressure-inducing twelve minutes to capture the entire shot. I was thrilled with the final image, which given our enormous time contraints, proved once again that preparation is everything.

CREDITS:
Photo by Nick Saglimbeni
Make-up by Joyce Bonelli
Hair by Rob Scheppy
Wardrobe Stylist Monica Rose
Behind-the-scenes photography by Terekah NaJuwan