Vintage Glamour Photography with Chandler Love at Delilah West Hollywood

Some locations do not need much help. Delilah in West Hollywood is one of them.

The moment you walk through the door the place tells you exactly what kind of photographs you are going to make. Deep red walls, velvet booths, gold everywhere, Art Deco details that make every hallway feel like a film set. Delilah has been a Hollywood institution since it opened and it shows in every surface.

I had the pleasure of working with Chandler Love (@chandler__love) for a vintage glamour shoot that felt like it belonged in a different era entirely. Chandler brought exactly the right energy to a location like this — warm, easy to direct and completely at home in front of the camera regardless of what you asked her to do.

The Styling

None of this happens without the right wardrobe. Geena Lorenzo from Genuinely Engaging Entertainment handled all the styling for the shoot and delivered something extraordinary. The gold corset, the crimson velvet, the feathered headdress — every piece was chosen to work with Delilah's interior rather than compete with it.

When the styling is this strong the photographer's job is to stay out of the way and let the light and the location do what they do.

The Shoot

Chandler is the kind of person who makes a difficult location feel effortless. Delilah is not a photography studio — the lighting is moody and inconsistent, the spaces are tight and the ambient light shifts constantly. None of that fazed her. She moved through the space like she had been shooting there for years.

We worked the hallways, the booths, the bar area. Every corner of Delilah has its own personality and Chandler matched each one without missing a beat.

The headdress shots in the corridor are some of the most dramatic images I have made in any location. The warm amber light coming from above, the deep red walls closing in on both sides, Chandler holding that gaze like she owns the entire building. That is not something you can manufacture. That is a model who understands exactly what a moment requires.

The Booth

The one that stopped me during the edit. Chandler reclined across the velvet booth, legs stretched across the table, staring directly into the lens with an expression that dares you to look away. The crimson walls and gold place settings frame her perfectly. It is a photograph that belongs in a different decade and somehow feels completely modern at the same time.

That is what Delilah does. It makes everything feel timeless.

If a styled glamour shoot at an iconic Los Angeles location sounds like something you want to experience, let's talk. Schedule your free consultation and let's create something extraordinary together. 909-234-2711

Bunny Yeager and the Birth of Bold, Empowered Glamour

Image from NYT announcement article about her death at 85

There are photographers who document a moment in time, and then there are photographers who redefine it. Bunny Yeager did not simply capture mid-century glamour. She reshaped how it was seen, who controlled it, and how it felt. Long before conversations about empowerment and the female gaze entered mainstream creative language, Yeager was already building that visual foundation.

At Black Kat Studios, where fine art, legacy, and feminine strength intersect, her influence still resonates.

Yeager began as a model in the 1950s before stepping behind the camera in a field dominated by men. That transition alone shifted the tone of glamour photography. Her most famous work with Bettie Page became iconic, but what makes those images endure is not novelty. It is authorship. It is intention. It is the subtle power dynamic of a woman shaping how women are seen.

She rejected the confinement of studio-only work and brought glamour into the natural world. Florida beaches, tropical foliage, bright sun, and open air replaced artificial backdrops. Natural light sculpted the body instead of flattening it. Her highlights were unapologetic. Her shadows were dimensional. The women in her images felt playful, athletic, self-possessed.

That balance between softness and strength is a thread that continues into modern fine art nude and female portraiture. The idea that a woman can be sensual without being reduced, powerful without being hardened, exposed without being vulnerable in a negative sense, all of that visual language traces back to pioneers like Yeager.

For a studio like Black Kat, which embraces bold black and whites, hard light, shadow play, and the celebration of form, her influence is not retro. It is structural. It reminds us that glamour can be intelligent. That confidence photographs better than compliance. That environment can amplify emotion. That legacy imagery is not about imitation of the past, but about honoring the artists who created the vocabulary we now speak fluently.

Bunny Yeager’s work still feels alive because it was never about trends. It was about perspective. She shifted the gaze. She controlled the narrative. She proved that glamour could be sunlit, strong, and self-aware.

That is not nostalgia. That is foundation.

If Bunny Yeager’s visionary use of light and confident storytelling inspires you, let’s create fine art imagery that celebrates your strength and presence. Naked Ambition is currently streaming and is a must-see for anyone passionate about photography’s evolution.

If you’re drawn to bold light, sculpted shadow, and imagery that celebrates strength and form, let’s create something timeless together.

Explore a fine art session with Black Kat Studios and begin crafting legacy imagery that feels powerful, intentional, and uniquely yours.

Schedule your consultation today and step into your own iconic frame.

Glamour Photography with a Burlesque Performer | Black Kat Studios Los Angeles

What Happens When a Showgirl Walks Into Your Studio

Some sessions surprise you.

The moment Cherie Gwendolyn walked through the door I knew this was going to be one of those sessions.

Cherie

Cherie is a Los Angeles showgirl, pinup performer and burlesque artist who has performed alongside Hailee Steinfeld, Chris Brown, Don Toliver, Anderson Paak and more. She is the kind of performer who has spent years learning exactly what her body can do and exactly how to use it in front of an audience.

What I did not fully anticipate was how completely that translates to the camera.

Follow her at @cherie.gwendolyn on Instagram.

Want to see the session in action? Watch the behind the scenes below.

Dancers Are a Different Experience

I have said before that the women who are most hesitant going in are often the ones who walk out the most transformed. Cherie was the opposite of hesitant. She walked in professional, warm, ready and completely at ease.

Performers know their bodies. They understand line, angle, expression and presence in a way that takes most people years to develop. Cherie did not need to be taught how to pose. She needed to be pointed in a direction and given the creative freedom to inhabit it.

What that means for a photographer is that you stop directing and start collaborating. The session becomes a conversation rather than an instruction. That is when the most interesting work happens.

When Glamour Becomes Vintage Glamour

Some sessions have a direction before you ever pick up a camera. This was one of them.

Cherie is a burlesque performer. That means the old Hollywood sensibility, the deliberate femininity, the theatrical confidence — that is not a style she puts on. It is who she is. The moment she walked in it was clear that this was never going to be a standard glamour shoot. It was always going to be vintage. It was always going to be cinematic. It was always going to have that pin-up edge.

I did not redirect the session. I just followed where she was already going.

The result is images that feel like they belong in a different era while still being completely, unmistakably her.

What This Session Taught Me

Shooting Cherie reminded me why I love this work. When a woman walks in already comfortable in her skin, already fluent in her own beauty, the camera becomes almost secondary. You are not creating confidence. You are just documenting it.

The result is images that feel effortless even though they are not. Every frame has intention behind it. Every pose tells you something about who she is.

That is what separates a great session from a good one. Not the equipment, not the location, not even the lighting. The person in front of the lens.

Glamour and Vintage Boudoir Photography in Los Angeles

If you are a performer, dancer, burlesque artist or entertainer who has been thinking about creating images that document who you are at this point in your career, I would love to talk.

Sessions are available at my private studio in Upland and at select premium locations throughout Los Angeles and Southern California. Professional hair and makeup available as an add-on.

No session brief required. Just show up and let's see what we make together.

Ready to start the conversation? Schedule your free consultation and let's talk about your vision. 909-234-2711

Glamour Photo Session with Cherry Gwendolyn at Black Kat Studios Upland CA by Rick Feldman Photography.