Sandra Fluke for Newsweek (click for larger)

I had the unique experience a few weeks back of photographing the same subject for two magazines, within 48 hours of each other. The New York Times Magazine needed to photograph Sandra Fluke for their front-of-the-mag Talk section. After being the target of a particularly unkind (and illogical) tirade by Rush Limbaugh, Fluke achieved the out of nowhere news stardom that seems to be the norm in the world we live in.

Sandra Fluke for The New York Times Magazine

On the day I photographed her, she was set to graduate from Georgetown Law School in a couple of days, then move the next week to Los Angeles with her fiance. I remember thinking after the shoot finished that the strange circumstances of her celebrity (for lack of a better word) couldn't have happened to a more well-prepared person, as she showed the groundedness, insight and humor that has made this initial incident seem not to be a defining moment in her life as much as a lift-off point.
Sandra Fluke for Newsweek

As I was wrapping up this shoot, Newsweek called and wanted an environmental portrait of Sandra the next day. We decided to shoot in a northwest DC neighborhood with some nice street scenes and a rather picturesque Metro escalator whose sharp trajectory upwards seemed fitting for the subject. Once again, just hours before her graduation, she was generous with time and held tough through some seriously warm weather and multiple setups.


Sandra Fluke for Newsweek (click for larger)

I'd like to thank Gabrielle Plucknette at The New York Times Magazine and Carolyn Rauch at Newsweek for these great opportunities.