Markus Klinko and Indrani share the story behind "Dangerously In Love" cover photo
Markus: This is probably our most recognizable image that we’ve ever taken because it was obviously Beyoncé’s first solo album cover.
Indrani: The first concepts had Beyoncé very covered up and proper, wearing beautiful long gowns, and we didn’t really think that they conveyed who she was. She’s got such a strong spirit and she’s so grounded and there’s something incredibly luminous about her. We really wanted to create an image that reflected those qualities. Amongst the styling, there was this piece that was made out of stones that was actually in pretty poor shape — it had about half as many stones as the final result — and it was very heavy and uncomfortable. We talked her into trying it and she was amazing. She was ready to try it even though it was awkward and uncomfortable.
Markus: Plus it didn’t cover anything! She was pretty much topless on the actual set.
Indrani: It came with a long skirt…
Markus: Yes. She said, “I just don’t like the skirt.” So I said, “Why don’t you wear jeans?” She said, ”We don’t have any.” (It was styled by her mom, not GK.) So I suggested, “Why don’t you wear my jeans?” She said, “Cool.” I took my pants off, she put them on…
Indrani: So she really got into Markus’ pants!
Markus: She got into my pants. We’ve been joking about it with her ever since. We’ve worked with her many times through the years —from Pepsi to L’Oreal — and she’s always very sweet and humble. Pretty much every time we talk about the jeans moment. She’d kept the jeans for a while and at some point she FedEx’d them back and she said, “Please don’t sell them on eBay!” It was quite funny.
Indrani: The first concepts had Beyoncé very covered up and proper, wearing beautiful long gowns, and we didn’t really think that they conveyed who she was. She’s got such a strong spirit and she’s so grounded and there’s something incredibly luminous about her. We really wanted to create an image that reflected those qualities. Amongst the styling, there was this piece that was made out of stones that was actually in pretty poor shape — it had about half as many stones as the final result — and it was very heavy and uncomfortable. We talked her into trying it and she was amazing. She was ready to try it even though it was awkward and uncomfortable.
Markus: Plus it didn’t cover anything! She was pretty much topless on the actual set.
Indrani: It came with a long skirt…
Markus: Yes. She said, “I just don’t like the skirt.” So I said, “Why don’t you wear jeans?” She said, ”We don’t have any.” (It was styled by her mom, not GK.) So I suggested, “Why don’t you wear my jeans?” She said, “Cool.” I took my pants off, she put them on…
Indrani: So she really got into Markus’ pants!
Markus: She got into my pants. We’ve been joking about it with her ever since. We’ve worked with her many times through the years —from Pepsi to L’Oreal — and she’s always very sweet and humble. Pretty much every time we talk about the jeans moment. She’d kept the jeans for a while and at some point she FedEx’d them back and she said, “Please don’t sell them on eBay!” It was quite funny.
