Photography at its best is about more than just capturing a face—it’s about revealing something deeper. Few understand this better than Sophie Elgort, who, after spending years behind the camera, is now bringing audiences into her world with Portrait Mode, a four-episode docuseries that invites viewers to step behind the scenes of a photo shoot. The series, which premiered on PBS All Arts in February, follows Sophie as she photographs and interviews an array of creative legends: music producer Nile Rodgers, EGOT-winning actor Rita Moreno, American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Skylar Brandt, and, in the most personal episode of the series, her father—renowned fashion photographer Arthur Elgort.
For Sophie, Portrait Mode is an extension of her work as a photographer, but it also pushes her into new territory—one where she becomes as much a storyteller as an image-maker. “My favorite part of photography is getting to know the subject through the shoot itself,” Sophie says. “Not just by what they say, but by watching them in action. I wanted to create a show that offers a window into that process.”
The inspiration for Portrait Mode came during the pandemic, when Sophie started an IGTV series with her father. “Each week, I’d interview my dad about a different photograph, and he’d tell the story behind it,” she recalls. Those conversations planted the seed for a show that could go beyond a single image and instead capture the essence of an artist in real time. After pitching the idea to WNET in 2021, Sophie spent the next four years refining it with the network’s executive team. The result is a vibrant, intimate, and unfiltered look at four remarkable artists, with each episode revealing something about a creative process that audiences rarely get to see.
The series opens with Rodgers, the four-time Grammy-winning musician and producer whose catalog includes “Le Freak,” “We Are Family,” and “Get Lucky.” Sophie describes the episode as “one of those magical shoots where Nile was just riffing endlessly on his Hitmaker guitar.” His longtime partner and We Are Family Foundation cofounder, Nancy Hunt, joins the session, providing a rare glimpse into the life of a man whose music has defined generations.
The second episode shifts focus to Moreno—an icon of stage and screen who, at 92, remains as magnetic as ever. (Moreno also starred alongside Sophie’s brother Ansel in the Steven Spielberg remake of West Side Story.) “The energy she brought to the shoot was just unreal,” Sophie says. “At one point, she broke into a Peggy Lee song, a cappella, and started dancing around the studio. That’s the magic of a photo shoot—you get to see these moments that would otherwise be lost.”
For Sophie, the process of preparing for each episode was as crucial as the shoot itself. “I did deep dives into each of my subjects—I read books, watched documentaries, combed through past interviews,” she explains. “In a few cases, I also spoke with their teams to understand what would make sense to include.”
That research is particularly evident in the third installment, which spotlights Brandt, a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. The episode captures Brandt’s tireless dedication, from lacing up her pointe shoes to executing perfect pirouettes in the middle of a New York City street. “We wanted to highlight her discipline and grace, but also the pure joy she exudes when she dances,” Sophie says.
And then, of course, there is the final episode—one that feels less like a typical interview and more like a full-circle moment. That one, out tomorrow, is dedicated to Arthur Elgort, the photographer whose work reshaped the very notion of fashion imagery. His signature style—candid, kinetic, full of movement and life—helped define the pages of Vogue for decades. “When I think about my dad’s photography, I think about the energy he brought to fashion,” Sophie says. “He didn’t just photograph models—he photographed characters, women in motion, moments that felt like they were lifted from real life.”
Their episode takes place in Arthur’s SoHo studio, where he has shot some of the most iconic faces in fashion history. But this time, the tables are turned, with Sophie behind the camera and Arthur as the subject. “It was surreal,” she admits. “Growing up, I was always the one watching him shoot. To be the one photographing him was an experience I’ll never forget.”
It’s not the first time Sophie has been in front of her father’s lens—she and her siblings spent much of their childhood as unwitting subjects in his photographs. “He shot us constantly, but it was never formal—it was always just capturing life as it happened,” she recalls. That philosophy has undoubtedly shaped Sophie’s approach, though she has carved out a distinct style of her own.
Her father’s influence, she says, extends beyond technique. “My dad has always been someone who is unafraid to follow his instincts,” she says. “He taught me that great photography isn’t about staging the perfect shot—it’s about finding the perfect moment.”
For those who have missed the weekly rollout, there’s good news: The full series will have its official broadcast premiere on PBS All Arts on June 6 at 8 p.m. ET. As for Sophie, she’s already thinking about what comes next. “There are so many more artists I’d love to feature,” she says. “The dream list keeps growing.”
