Donna Karan “Not One More” Portrait — Ruven Afanador | Lighting by Sebastian Beckmann
Political Portraiture on Gun Violence — Studio Portrait, West Village New York
Photographer Representation: Sarah Laird & Good Company
Talent: Donna Karan
Location: Studio, West Village, New York
Lighting Direction: Ruven Afanador
First Lighting Assistant: Mario Jimenez
Lighting Execution: Sebastian Beckmann / Assisting Productions
Photographed by Ruven Afanador in New York, the image operates within the language of classical portraiture while shifting into political territory. The gaze is steady, unresolved, and confrontational. There is no narrative relief. The composition strips the image to essentials: face, texture, and text.
The lighting—developed in collaboration with the crew of Mario Jimenez, Justin Mulroy, James Marquis, Mike Siky & Sebastian Beckmann—it reinforces this tension through controlled falloff and sculptural contrast, isolating the subject while preserving tonal depth in the textile. The result is an image that sits between editorial portraiture and institutional work, where light becomes structural rather than decorative.
The phrase originates from Richard Martinez, whose son was killed in the 2014 Isla Vista shooting, and has since been adopted by advocacy movements addressing gun violence in the United States. Within this context, the portrait moves beyond fashion or celebrity. It becomes a visual document tied to contemporary social discourse.
Afanador’s approach—known for theatrical restraint and sculptural composition—combined with precise lighting execution, positions the image in a space where authorship, subject, and message converge.