Even at 14-years-old, Emma Beiles Howie had an eye for immortalizing someone at their best. Back then, she was photographing her little sisters at home in Colorado with a film camera their mom had won at a town auction. These days, she’s on speed dial to capture the quintessential GRWM—get ready with me—shot. In fact, if you follow a certain set of today’s most in-demand stars who are always immaculately turned out and on their way to one glamorous party or another, you’ve probably seen Howie’s work online already.
“My sisters used to say I made them feel beautiful, and thats what really made me want to do photography forever,” Beiles Howie told Vogue. “I did it on the side since I was a teenager, but I never imagined I would be able to do this full-time.”
Alas, a fateful image taken of Blackpink’s Rosé during Paris Fashion Week in 2021 helped ensured she’s been booked-and-busy ever since. “Rosé posted my work organically and then asked me to shoot back in New York. Those images changed the course of my career, for sure. Shortly after I met stylist Yael Quint. We started working together and that’s been the biggest turning point for me so far. She’s now one of my best friends too.”
Earlier this week, Beiles Howie was head-down preparing for her fourth Met Monday. Ahead of the red carpet, she was taking on the ambitious task of photographing five guests on their way out the door; an effort that required down-to-the-minute scheduling—and marathon-worthy shoes.
“I’m nervous every year. Things never go quite as expected, especially with timing, but everything always works out in the end,” Beiles Howie shared, noting that it’s still a “pinch-me moment” each time. “One of my clients ran 30 minutes over time, but my next two clients were in rooms right next to each other, so it was still able to work out.”
