Alicia Keys, photographed at AOL headquarters at 770 Broadway in New York City by Diana Levine in December 2009.

Levine photographed Alicia for the promotion of her special performance on ‘AOL Sessions,’ premiering on January 14, 2010. Alicia played material from her new album “The Element of Freedom,” which debuted on the Billboard 200 at #2 that December with 417k units sold. Including hits like “Unthinkable (I’m Ready),” “Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart,” and “Empire State of Mind (Part II).”

The Boston photographer revealed some behind-the-scenes action of the shoot to her social media: “It was a pretty simple set up because I was photographing her in a lobby with white walls, white ceiling and white floors,” Levine explains. “So I didn’t even need to set up a backdrop! I lit the wall with 2 lights in the back, and I used two octobanks [lights], I can’t remember the size — maybe 3 or 4’ octabanks?. One for my key, and one for fill. Usually I set my key at a couple shots above the fill.”

Alicia Keys, photographed at AOL headquarters at 770 Broadway in New York City by Diana Levine in December 2009.

Levine photographed Alicia for the promotion of her special performance on ‘AOL Sessions,’ premiering on January 14, 2010. Alicia played material from her new album “The Element of Freedom,” which debuted on the Billboard 200 at #2 that December with 417k units sold. Including hits like “Unthinkable (I’m Ready),” “Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart,” and “Empire State of Mind (Part II).”

The Boston photographer revealed some behind-the-scenes action of the shoot to her social media: “It was a pretty simple set up because I was photographing her in a lobby with white walls, white ceiling and white floors,” Levine explains. “So I didn’t even need to set up a backdrop! I lit the wall with 2 lights in the back, and I used two octobanks [lights], I can’t remember the size — maybe 3 or 4’ octabanks?. One for my key, and one for fill. Usually I set my key at a couple shots above the fill.”

 

Alicia Keys, photographed before the release of her debut studio album on East 21st Street in New York by James Patrick Cooper in early 2001.

Cooper used the Mamiya M645 camera with Fujifilm NPS 160 film to photograph the young star.  

 

Alicia Keys, photographed before the release of her debut studio album on East 21st Street with Gramercy Park in the background in New York by James Patrick Cooper in early 2001.

Cooper used the Mamiya M645 camera with Fujifilm NPS 160 film to photograph the young star. This was the first time he met Alicia, describing the shoot to social media: “The first time I met Alicia Keys and had her hang out the studio window over E21st. This was before her first album on J Records ‘Songs in A minor.’”