The Trip of A Lifetime- Part One

To see more of my photos from the events, check out my portfolio!

Last month, I got to take the trip of a lifetime. I got to go to New York City to photograph two red carpets, an actress getting ready for her first Broadway opening, and Lumi, the famed social media samoyed.

I was in the city for almost a week, and it was the most amazing trip! We arrived on a Tuesday evening and settled in after a delicious dinner and a stop for sweet treats. The next morning my mom and I set out for the West Village. When we got there, we met up with Lumi and Jackie, his mom, who was so kind and sweet. We walked all over the picturesque neighborhood, and I took photos of beautiful Lumi- which wasn't hard because he's so photogenic! I'd followed this fluffy samoyed on social media for years, and when I found out I was going to NY, I reached out to see if I could photograph him. I was so surprised and excited when Jackie said yes! Getting to photograph Lumi was a dream come true-and it was only the start of the trip!

After I photographed Lumi, my mom and I went back to our hotel and got ready for the second half of my day-the red carpet for Just in Time. This event was the reason for the whole trip. I reached out to their brilliant press agents in March, and asked for a spot on the red carpet. I've been a fan of Jonathan Groff forever, and I had the privilege of singing in an ensemble with Erika Henningson a few years ago, but I have an even more special connection to the show- my incredible cousin, Valeria Yamin, is a Siren in the show, and she also understudies the role of Connie Francis. At the time that I reached out to the press team, I'd actually never met Valeria in person-my family is really big and she and I have always lived several states apart-but I knew I'd love the chance to photograph her. Especially for her first Broadway opening. To my excitement, the kind press agents said they'd love to have me on the carpet!

The first part of the carpet was with the celebrities and VIPs, who walked the carpet on their way into the theatre to watch the opening performance. This star-studded list included Lea Michelle, Patti Murin, Colin Donnell, Fran Drescher, Daniel Radcliffe, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Philipa Soo, just to name a few.

The second part of the carpet was after the show, at the opening night party. This was when I got to photograph the cast. Near the end of the carpet, Valeria arrived. After she walked the carpet, the sweetest moment happened. I had just finished taking my photo of her, and she thanked me and then froze, recognizing me. "What's your name?" she asked. "Isla," I responded. "Isla! You're my cousin!" she cried, hugging me. I'll never forget the pure joy of that moment. She then introduced me to her immediate family members who were there, all of whom were so sweet and kind. It was such a special moment to meet these wonderful “new” cousins and family. I had already had such an incredible experience, and it was just day one!

The following morning was spent getting ready for a day I'll always remember. I was going to follow the talented and beautiful Kelly Belarmino as she got ready for the opening of her first Broadway show, Pirates! The Penzance Musical. This was incredibly special to me-Kelly was the Liesl to my Brigitta in a regional production of The Sound of Music that I was in a couple years ago. Kelly truly became a big sister to all of us von Trapp kids, and when I found out I was going to be in the city at the same time as her opening, I knew I wanted to be a part of her special day.

I originally reached out to see if I could get to be on the carpet, but the opening events were very competitive and I hadn’t gotten approval yet. I was disappointed, but then I got an idea-since Kelly was the reason I wanted to be there, what if I reached out to her and asked if I could photograph her getting ready for the carpet backstage? I proposed the idea to her, and I was so excited when she said yes!

On Thursday, the day of the opening, I went to the Todd Haimes Theatre about two hours before the red carpet. I got to go backstage to Kelly's dressing room, which was fascinating because I'd never been in a Broadway dressing room! I walked in, and when Kelly saw me, she stopped mid-conversation and hugged me. It felt so special to be there with her in that moment. As she started to get ready, I took photos of her putting on her makeup and doing her hair. She's beautiful on a bad day, and that day she was stunning. This was the first time I'd ever gotten to do this type of photography, and getting to explore it with Kelly was such an incredible experience. I've been a huge fan of Jenny Anderson's work for years, and her photography is heavily centered on backstage Broadway. I studied her work while I was preparing for this, and I definitely took some inspiration.

Getting to be backstage at a Broadway theatre, capturing these moments that no one on the other side of the curtain ever really gets to see was an honor. And getting to capture those moments for Kelly and capture the exuberence and excitement of her special day-there aren't even really words to describe the joy I felt as I stood in the dressing room that day. After she got ready, I took photos of her on the red carpet, and then I took some portraits of her on the balcony of the Todd Haimes Theatre. I came back to the theatre a few hours later, after a quick dinner with my parents, and some time spent with family and friends, to photograph curtain call. This experience was amazing, and I'll never forget it.

One of the happiest surprises of the day was when Nicole Wilson, an incredible photographer I'd had the honor of meeting and befriending at the Redwood red carpet, walked into the dressing room. She was there to photograph Samantha Williams, who delivers an amazing performance as Mabel in the show. Sammie was sharing the dressing room with Kelly, so for part of the afternoon, Nicole was in the room with me. It was so nice to see her, and it made me feel so much more comfortable. The curtain call portion of a show openeing can be intimidating, especially when you're new. The press waits in the back of the theatre as the lights go down, and when the room is dark, you have to run down the aisles and set up for photos before the light scome up for bows, which is usually under a minute. Nicole was going to the same area of the theatre for her shots, and made me feel safe as she helped me make my way down the pitch black aisles. I got some good shots of Kelly's opening night bows, and had a second to look around and take it all in before stopping on the way out of the theatre to thank wonderful press agents Chaliece and Ashlynn for letting me be part of it. The entire day was incredible.

Left: Kelly and I April 2025. Right: Kelly and I during Sound of Music.

To read about the rest of the trip, check out part two!