Behind the Lens with Pro Photographer Landon Nordeman at the Met Gala

Jun 23, 2025

Ken Klein

A person in an elaborate, flowing gown ascends blue steps while others in formal attire assist and watch, some seated on the stairs, against a backdrop of engraved stone walls. — Mindy Kaling at 2024 Met Gala | Photo by Landon Nordeman for The New York Times

“Unique” is an overused adjective that, at times, does not measure up. But the Met Gala is a unique spectacle of celebrity fashion, with individual ticket prices at $75,000 or $350,000 and up for a table for ten.

Everyone there expects to be photographed, says photographer Landon Nordeman.

“The energy inside the Met Gala is like nothing else,” says Nordeman, who has photographed 10 of them. “Everyone attending is there to be seen and to see what everyone else is wearing. I love working in an environment like that, where there is an expectation to be photographed.”

A woman in a silver dress stands under blooming pink cherry blossoms at a formal event, surrounded by elegantly dressed guests in dark attire. The lighting creates dramatic shadows and highlights. — Lauren Remington Platt at the 2022 Met Gala | Photo by Landon Nordeman for The New York Times

The Met Gala is invitation only; decked-out celebs who attend likely don’t pay. Tickets are typically purchased by brands and fashion houses. The 2025 event raised a record $31 million for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, topping $26 million raised in 2024.

“There is something about the unresolved, comic, and at times bizarre tenor of human interaction at parties that compels me to photograph,” says Nordeman, a fixture in fashion/celebrity photography.

A man with dark hair and glasses smiles broadly at the camera. The photo is black and white, with a blurred outdoor background and part of a metal structure visible on the left. — Photographer Landon Nordeman

He photographed the Met Gala on May 6 for The New York Times. A sampling of other Nordeman credits include photos published by Avenue Magazine (2025 Frick Young Fellows Ball), The Bitter Southerner (actor Michael Shannon loves music), The New York Times (Grand Dîner du Louvre fundraiser in Paris), The New Yorker (martini tour of New York City), and People (actress/singer Nicole Scherzinger).

A social media post by Nicole Scherzinger celebrates her first TONY nomination and first People magazine cover. It features two photos of her: one in a beige gown and one in a red outfit, with a message of gratitude.

“I am, as (photographer William) Eggleston said, ‘at war with the obvious.’ The aim is for the photograph to reveal something rather than to flatter, to find something surprising,” Nordeman said.

Two men in tuxedos talk, one covering his mouth, while standing in front of a large classical nude male statue at night, with dramatic lighting casting shadows on the wall behind them. — 2017 Met Gala | Photo by Landon Nordeman for The New York Times

Equipment

At the Met Gala, Nordeman used a Leica M-11P camera with a 28m lens and a Profoto flash. The flash can draw attention.

A digital camera with a lens and strap, an external flash, a wireless flash trigger, and a 128GB SD memory card are arranged on a white surface. — Landon Nordeman’s equipment

“I photographed Bee Shaffer (Anna Wintour’s daughter) who was bent down, smoothing out her long ball gown. Her gesture reminded me of a bullfighter raising his arm, Olé!,” says Nordeman, recalling the 2016 Met Gala, his first.

“As soon as my flash went pop, Bee looked up, and said to me, ‘Oh, that is not a photograph!’ I happily made a second picture of her upright in her I’m-ready-to-take-a-picture-now pose. The first picture appeared in The New York Times the following day. That afternoon I received an email from Anna Wintour herself: ‘Dear Landon, Love the photograph of Bee — wondering if I might be able to get a print.’”

A woman in a long, black, off-the-shoulder gown with colorful floral designs sits gracefully on the floor, her hand supporting her. Another person in a light pink floral dress stands nearby, holding a pale clutch. — Bee Shaffer at 2016 Met Gala | Photo by Landon Nordeman for The New York Times

Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour has been a driving force elevating the Met Gala to a mega event, called “Fashion’s Biggest Night Out” and the “Oscars of the East.” The gala, held on the first Monday in May, is live-streamed by Vogue.

This year’s gala theme was “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” heralding an exhibition at The Costume Institute from May 10 to October 26. The theme was inspired by Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.

A man in a black coat and sunglasses smiles and gestures toward the camera, while a woman in a brightly colored striped suit stands nearby. The scene is lively and well-lit. — Rapper ASAP Rocky at the 2025 Met Gala | Photo by Landon Nordeman for The New York Times

Credentials

An adjunct instructor at the International Center of Photography in New York, Nordeman is a contributing photographer to The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, and more.

After graduating from the University of Virginia (1997, American Studies), Nordeman honed his photography skills at Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication.

“My first series documenting the bacchanalian excess of fraternity parties at UVA (University of Virginia) led to my first exhibition and my first professional experience as a staff photographer at The Daily Progress in Charlottesville,” he says.

“I discovered much of the same performative chaos while photographing the Westminster Dog Show in New York City, as well as other dog shows around the world, which led to New York Magazine commissioning me to photograph Fashion Week in New York, Milan, and Paris.”

His first monograph, Out of Fashion, was named one of the best photo books of 2016 by TIME.

“Landon Nordeman brings us fashion’s most familiar faces in an unfamiliar light,” said TIME assistant Photo Editor Marysa Greenwalt. “For four years, he defied the press pool to document unexpected spectacles during shows in New York, Paris, and Milan.”

Nordeman’s widely published photo of Kim Kardashian at the 2018 Met Gala helped in the investigation and repatriation of a stolen, $4 million ancient coffin. His photo, taken with the coffin as part of an exhibition at the Met, was identified by an informant involved in the looting of the coffin, leading to its return to Egypt.

What’s Next?

Leica Gallery in New York sponsors a solo exhibition June 26-July 27, Landon Nordeman: Last Night.

Three people stand side by side, seen from behind, wearing elegant gowns: one in flowing yellow, one in pale pink with embellishments, and one in vibrant red with dramatic feathery texture. — Gowns at 2023 Met Gala | Photo by Landon Nordeman for The New York Times

Immersed in the showy glam party world, Nordeman touts patience: “Stay patient. I try and remind myself of this: if you try to get too much, or if you rush, you’ll miss it.”

Image credits: Landon Nordeman

About the author: Ken Klein lives in Silver Spring, Maryland; he is retired after a career in politics, lobbying, and media including The Associated Press and Gannett in Florida. Klein is an alumnus of Ohio University and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Scripps College of Communication. Professionally, he has worked for Fort Myers News-Press (Gannett), The Associated Press (Tallahassee), Senator Bob Graham, and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA).