At home with Jessica Springsteen

I met Jessica Springsteen for the first time just before our photoshoot in Wellington, FL. She was friendly, energetic, confident, and exhibited a sensational smile. I could tell she had done shoots before and was very comfortable in front of my camera. I reviewed the possible scenarios around the location with her and we got down to shooting.

We were creating a Cover image and a multi-page story for the July/August 2020 issue of Equestrian Living Magazine. I work with varying size crews; for Jessica’s shoot we utilized one of my favorite first assistants and my go-to digital tech, along with make-up and hair that was provided by Jessica’s team. We needed to work fast, as we always do when shooting celebrities.

Jessica is the daughter and middle child of Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa. She grew up in Colts Neck, New Jersey, on her parent’s farm and began riding at the early age of 5.

Our greatest challenge in shooting on a hot sunny day is the lighting—harnessing the light to produce a flattering look without destroying the overall mood of the location. If I had the budget to have a few grips on set and a 12x12 overhead this would be much easier. That said, unless I’m doing advertising, I use a handheld portable sunbounce sunswatter overhead, Profoto B-1’s and a variety of reflectors. Oftentimes I enlist the help of our editor and publisher to grip a stand or bounce a card.

Did I mention we work fast? We created several cover options and a variety of scenarios shooting around the property in just over an hour!

The most challenging lighting was the shot of Jessica as she walked Zecilie into the barn. It is one of my favorite shots; lots of darks and lights, and of course, Jessica looks awesome.

Many thanks to our Publisher and Editor for making this shoot happen. I’ve been a fan of Jessica’s since we started talking about the possibility of shooting her over a year ago. I have to extend a huge thank you to Jessica for her professionalism and willingness to pose on cue and give us so many great looks in such a short time.