The celebrity snapper also shared how Meghan helped "coach" Harry through the shoot.
It sent shockwaves around the globe, but Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s engagement photographer, Alexi Lubomirski, says he was stunned at the outcry over the sheer gown Markle wore for the shoot.
Markle donned the dress, a long-sleeved gown with a sheer top and tulle skirt by Ralph & Russo, for the December shoot in Kensington Palace’s Sunken Gardens.
“I was very shocked with the reaction,” Lubomirski told ET’s Keltie Knight at The Daily Front Row Presents 4th Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards on Sunday night. “To be honest, we tried on a couple of different things and that was just one that she felt comfortable in, so we weren’t really thinking, ‘Is it nude?’ or anything. We just thought, ‘Feel comfortable and let’s make some nice pictures.’”
Lubomirski joked that he got the gig because “nobody was available and they scraped the bottom of the barrel,” before explaining how someone had seen that he was in England and suggested to Markle that she meet with him.
“When I went to meet them to see if we vibed, they were just cutesy and every time they looked at each other they were like, [giggling],” said Lubomirski. “I was like, ‘This is gonna be great. This is gonna be easy.’ I said, ‘I just want to shoot you like this. This is what you're like.’”
The trio talked about the kind of photos they hoped to end up with, agreeing that they wanted the couple to appear “accessible, relatable.”
Lubomirski described the actual shoot as easy, “because they were so naturally in love,” and shared how Markle’s extensive experience with photo shoots, thanks to her acting career, was a huge blessing on the day.
“She was actually a godsend because obviously Prince Harry has done many photos before, but she really knew what goes into a photo shoot because she's done it so many times before,” he said of the Suits star. “So, it was wonderful to have her as a sort of coach on set. He kind of led her through and she led him through, and she just made it very nice and easy.”
Lubomirski has also photographed Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston and Katy Perry.
He was honored with the Photographer of the Year award at Sunday’s awards -- and was sure to give the royal couple a shout-out through ET!
“I had a very lucky year,” he said. “I think shooting Prince Harry and Meghan obviously was the biggest reason I'm here today, so I guess thank you to Harry and Meghan!”
See more on the upcoming royal wedding below.
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