Durango, Colorado – 2023

Photographing a famous person next to something visually outstanding represents a riddle as there must be a debate as to which subject to deprioritize.

The best images tend to favor, both subjects equally – an example perhaps being Diana Spencer – the then Princess of Wales – against the backdrop of the Taj Mahal. She is dwarfed by the magnificence of what is behind her but is central and pivotal to the story.

Cara Delevingne cannot be taken up to a remote forest, fresh in new snow and then asked to play a secondary role. She has too powerful a look to be relegated to the role of a contextual extra, but equally, the Durango Steam train in winter is one of the great props a storytelling photographer can have. In scouting the journey the day after an intense snowstorm, I found a spot that I thought could offer a balance; I would just need Cara to be strong and sure footed on the banks of a river in a huge amount of fresh snow.

There is a confident swagger to her and my best narrative was that she could be celebrating a robbery before it had even occurred – hence the cigar in her mouth. She can smoke a cigar like the best gambler in Vegas.

It was a cold afternoon that day. This was no studio and as always, it was an honor to work with Cara, she is one of the very best in the business. It’s not a bad backdrop either.