Through the lens of Lindsay Siu, portraits become more than just moments—they're statements. In her shot of Lily Gladstone (left), we see a woman on the brink of Cannes, captured in a way that reflects her role's intensity and the heritage that grounds her. Then there’s "The Future is Female" (right), where Lindsay shatters the filtered illusions of today's youth culture, presenting unfiltered beauty and raw confidence. Each image is a bold declaration, pushing beyond the surface to reveal the strength and authenticity within.

By: Lindsay Siu, Photographer, Lindsay Siu Photography

Lily Gladstone

In April of 2023, I was asked by Ava Selbach of The Hollywood Reporter to photograph Lily Gladstone, who was filming in Vancouver, for their Cannes issue. Martin Scorcese’s Killers of The Flower Moon was set to premiere at Cannes the following month, and this article was about Lily’s performance in her role as Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman who marries a white man and finds herself betrayed in ways that defied comprehension.

Due to Lily’s shooting schedule, we knew our time with her would be tight. Ava imagined a studio shoot, referencing my “Self Portrait” Series” as possible inspiration. In putting together the creative deck, however, it was vital for me to present ideas that felt authentic to Lily and connected with the overall theme of the film and book. Further, Lily and Jason Rembert, her stylist, were leaning towards a more casual look while also incorporating her Indigenous heritage. When the team arrived with the wardrobe, it felt like kismet. The looks Jason pulled were perfect for the setups I had in mind.

Of course, Lily was natural in front of the camera. Gracious, collaborative, and incredibly thoughtful. We connected over talks about representation and shared our backgrounds, and when I mentioned that I would see my son’s school play that evening, she told me how she fell in love with her craft performing in school theater.

We shot two very different lighting and wardrobe looks. One was colorful, soft, and full of movement, embodying Lily’s elegant and lively personality. The other setup was more formalist, set in front of a hand-painted backdrop. Like my “Self Portrait” Series, I wanted to nod back to traditional historical portraits and connect to the story and history within Killers of The Flower Moon while creating a portrait that would feel timeless for Lily.

In the end, we only had a little over an hour for the shoot, but we worked quickly and collaboratively to complete everything we planned. As Lily left in her Uber, she whispered, “Tell your son to break a leg tonight!” which was incredibly thoughtful and kind of her. And so I did!

The Future is Female

It’s widely accepted that our current “selfie culture” is negatively affecting young people’s self-esteem and mental health. This is most acutely and tragically true for tween and teenage girls, many of who feel the need to apply social media filters to “beautify” their appearances.

This simple portrait series was born out of the desire to capture the pure beauty, radiance, and happiness of youth. These strong and beautiful young women are my children’s friends, and I wanted to allow them to see themselves through my gaze. I brought them to my studio, set up a clothes rack, blasted Taylor Swift, and we played with glitter and arts and crafts. We experimented with different colored gels on the strobes and different materials and diffusion on and in front of the camera lens. There were no expectations that day, and we allowed it all to unfold organically. We captured gorgeous portraits of everyone, and it was a fun exercise for me and, hopefully, a great memory for them.

I have no illusions that I saved the world that day, but those girls and I had a more fun, creative, and empowering time than any spent scrolling on their phones or comparing ourselves to filtered people on the internet.

Lindsay Siu is a Vancouver-based photographer and director specializing in advertising, portraiture, and entertainment. Her thoughtful imagery conveys a distinct vision, combining fine art photography’s nuance with commercial art’s clarity and purpose. Some of Lindsay’s clients include ABC, CBS, NBC, Netflix, Nickelodeon, Paramount, Pfizer, The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Toyota, and Warner Bros Studios. Lindsay has been recognized internationally for her work in Communication Arts, Applied Arts, American Photography, Graphis, the One Show, and Luerzer’s Archive 200 Best Photographers Worldwide.

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