Mae West was the star of many a giddy western. The Hollywood legend, known for her breezy sex appeal and her light hearted bawdy double entendres, gave us so many great quotes, two favourites being “is that a pistol in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?” and of course “between two evils, I generally like to pick the one I never tried before”.

Brooks Nader is a modern-day Mae West and she was perfect for our wild west shoot in Montana. Playful, intelligent and sassy, Brooks is such a joy to work with and the camera loves her. My direct was to style her as a dolled up saloon girl with authority and attitude, as well as carrying her usual level of sexual provocation. As directs go, that was probably one of the easier ones Brooks has been given.

The idea for this shoot was to play with both the interior and exterior of the saloon because that would widen my narrative and give a fuller sense of place. As interior design photographers know, this is never an easy task, as the light differential is material.