A Bikini Photo Shoot in Zero Gravity? Yes, This Actually Happened

Photography Tips

For part of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 50th Anniversary Edition, Kate Upton and a crew of photographers boarded a specially modified Boeing 727 which flew in parabolic arcs to create a weightless environment allowing them to float, flip and soar as if in space–which makes for a very unique and challenging photo shoot:

In the next video, the focus is more on Upton and less on the photographers, but it still offers some interesting behind the scenes footage from the model’s perspective:

To get the shots, the photographers and assistants were subject to zero gravity as well, making it particularly difficult to get good shots. The assistants, some of whom were tethered down, were often times responsible for holding the photographers steady while they worked.

“The ZERO-G experience was really exhilarating for everyone involved,” said M.J. Day, Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue editor, in a statement. “We have been almost everywhere in the past 50 years with SI Swimsuit, but we have never done anything like this. It was certainly the most out-of-the-box shoot. Once again, Kate surprised us all with how she handled modeling in weightlessness.”