In my continuing series on Women & LGBT Musicians, this month’s artist is the crazy cool singer/guitarist/violinst Laurel Scott. I first took notice of Laurel when I saw Elizabeth Moen perform at the Empty Bottle, and Laurel was Liz’s violinist and a backup singer. I was instantly drawn to her charisma and stage presence and knew I had to photograph her for this series. Luckily, my husband began working at Chicago Music Exchange, where she also works, and is a member of their Full Band Friday house band. I jumped at the opportunity to connect and learn more about her.

Besides her incredible style, Laurel is a multidisciplinary musician and incredible singer with a compelling stage presence. And while she hasn’t officially formed her own band yet (it’s on the horizon), she can be seen performing all over the city of Chicago with different projects. She’s definitely one to watch out for!

Her shoot was inspired by her love of classic rock, funk and disco.

Photography & Art Direction by CASSIE SCOTT All clothes, jewelry & makeup, Laurel’s own

Having fellow artists who love to collaborate and trust you is the greatest gift, so when Chicago based duo Valebol (the meeting of two brilliant musicians V.V. Lightbody and Daniel Villarreal) reached out I jumped at the chance. Especially when they were game to do something psychedelic and experimental. Needless to say shooting these images was such a joy, and even if you have a starting point it’s freeing to sometimes just let yourself experiment in the moment.

Photography & Art Direction by CASSIE SCOTT Assistant CHRIS SCOTT Fashion ARTISTS OWN Makeup by ELIZABETH MOEN

Sometimes creative projects take years to get off the ground. It didn’t help that a pandemic started the moment I was just starting a project I’ve been wanting to do for years. What followed was what a friend described as “being in survival mode” trying to start my freelance photography business and avoid getting sick from Covid. Time passes and suddenly you find yourself unsure of how to begin again. All this is to say, I’m so glad I met Liz because she truly inspired me to begin this project again.

For some time now, I’ve had a project in mind involving portraits of Chicago-based Women and LGBT musicians and artists. I’ve been passionate about music my whole life, and I’ve met so many incredibly talented people in this city’s music scene over the years, I felt like I owed it to them to share their stories because of the inspiration they’ve given me.

I actually met Liz on the set of a photoshoot I was doing for the incredible band Valebol. She was there to help style, assist and “bring vibes” to the set which I was all about. I was immediately struck by not only her great style but her confidence, fun nature and supportive spirit (who doesn't want a cheerleader on set telling you the photos look great!?) I knew I had to give her music a listen and I was immediately blown away. Her voice reaches right into your soul, with her songs ranging from deeply personal and heartbreaking to funny and relatable, and sometimes all at once. Needless to say, I knew that she had to be a part of this project.

Besides drawing from her musical style (which is genre bending but has of elements of alternative, country, indie soul and the like) I also took inspiration from the first live show of hers I saw, where the stage was adorned with flowers. Liz has an incredible sense of personal style and her amazing pink fringe jumpsuit was actually made by a friend just for her. In this shoot, I combined all of these things with my view of her as a sort of a classic, old school performer juxtaposed with her modern sensibilities and her irresistible wit and charm.

Listen and find out more about her here.

Photography & Art Direction by CASSIE SCOTT All clothes, jewelry and makeup, Elizabeth’s own

The past few years have been an absolute fever dream, and while I managed some wins in my career, I definitely felt like my creative work had to be put on hold with the pandemic. Thankfully I had the chance to meet Eleanor McQueeny during this time, the sister of a dear friend of mine, who I found to be absolutely inspiring. She’s a recent graduate from RISD and creates not only her own stop motion films, but puppets, clothing, and illustrations—she’s truly gifted across many mediums. Together we managed to begin breaking out of our Covid comfort zones and enjoyed a day of photographing some of her favorite creations. Eleanor’s work is strange and unusual yet surprising endearing, I’m excited to see where she goes next.

Photography, Art Direction & Styling by CASSIE SCOTT Fashion ARTISTS OWN

Eleanor with her puppets “Beau”, “Residual Shame” & “Hung”

Eleanor with her puppets “Residual Shame” & “Hung”

Eleanor with her puppets “Residual Shame” & “Hung”

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Eleanor with her puppet “43”

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All the worlds a stage when you’re musical theater actress Kayla Boye channeling the stars of yesteryear…

Photography & Art Direction by CASSIE SCOTT Fashion ARTISTS OWN

As I approached my 30th birthday I knew I wanted to shoot a self-portrait project. This came about as a desire to reflect on my thoughts and feelings about getting older as well as an opportunity to shoot a self portrait project which I had never done before. Little did I know that one month before my birthday my life would be turned upside down by the sudden passing of my mother. This left me completely devastated. Determined to keep working and creating art, this project still had the same ideas at its core but there was the added layer of being thrust into what felt like real womanhood without my strongest female influence to guide me. With the help of my husband, we worked together to create the images I imagined. Uncertainty, grief, optimism, and changing priorities are all emotions and ideas explored through this series. Sand dunes, skies, and water are an ideal setting, filled with mystery, change, history and the beginning of new life.

Art Direction CASSIE SCOTT Photographer CHRIS SCOTT

Inspired by the wonderful array of foods found within the city, "Melting Pot" is a celebration of the mix of cultures and people that come together to make Chicago (Hover over images to find out more about the locations)

Model MANA at FORD MODELS, Makeup & Hair AUDREY BRYANT, Styling CHELSEA ROSS

CHINATOWN With a variety of grocery stores, restaurants, dim sum spots and tea houses you can try nearly any Chinese cuisine you can imagine here.

CARNICERIA GUANAJUATO This colorful Mexican grocery store has everything you need including an adjoined taqueria doling out delicious burritos and tacos on the daily.

DUK'S RED HOTS Since 1957, this classic Chicago hot dog stand has been serving all your tasty American favorites. It's truly the real deal.

This editorial was truly a delight to put together and shoot. When you know you're going to be shooting a full day you need a team that keeps you motivated and inspired (especially when you're sweating buckets) and they were exactly that. Getting to try a taste of all of the places we went was also really fun, and it shows just how much of a food city Chicago really is--and we only scratched the surface! 

It wasn't until this year that I finally felt it was time to share these photos from a session I had with my friend Amelia last summer. I had never done a nude shoot before and she was a great first subject since we'd known each other for ages. We agreed we wanted to see more female nudity from a woman's perspective in art, and so we pulled together some ideas and simply experimented one afternoon. My initial inspiration was actually some vintage nude photographs of the gorgeous Jane Birkin in the 1960's. Her feminine energy in them is really captivating. 

A couple weeks ago I did an interview and collaboration with my dear friend and fellow photographer Sarah Katherine Davis for her wedding blog in which I went over my advice for what to wear when having your photo taken. We had an excellent time running around the city shooting at some of our favorite Louisville spots while discussing the fashion and wedding photography industries. Do check it out. 

This shoot I did for IRK MAGAZINE was mainly inspired by early surrealist and fashion photographers, namely Man Ray and Horst P. Horst. I also drew inspiration from classic tattoos and even 80's illustrations. I really wanted to explore the iconography of romance, vanity, and sexuality by mixing the past and present. Using clever camera and backdrop tricks we managed to do nearly everything in camera and with natural light. It's something I'm proud of and always strive for with my work; I just think everything looks better practically.

Makeup & Hair HEATHER FRENCH, Model CHELSEA NAPARSTEK

I met Marsden after attending a friends improv show at Second City in Chicago a while back. She's also a part of the comedy improv group Thicc & Emotional, and a stand up and writer in her own right. When she asked me to take her portrait I jumped at the opportunity. I love shooting creative people from all walks of life, especially ones that do things I find very hard, like writing and getting on stage. Before we shot, she expressed a desire for her queerness to show through in the photos, as a femme lesbian sometimes visibility is an issue since you don't have the "usual" lesbian markers associated with more masculine presenting women. How to go about this was a unique challenge I welcomed, and I ultimately settled on borrowing from an age old advertising troupe; disembodied women's hands symbolizing sex appeal, only this time it's women only. Said hands are yours truly.