Tongues are wagging in tony Old Westbury on Long Island, where a boudoir photographer has set up a studio on a horse farm in the ultra wealthy enclave.
Erotic portraitist Alli Murphy snaps steamy shots of women in lingerie — just trotting distance from the property’s equestrian center — using the estate’s mansion as a background and leaving some locals aghast.
“I find the whole thing incongruous,” griped a mom who stables her horse at Old Westbury. “You’ve got kids taking riding lessons while they’re taking nudie pictures. Strangers are milling about. There doesn’t seem to be any control over what they’re doing. People are concerned but are afraid to speak up.”
But Murphy makes no apologies, proudly pointing to her booming business, Alli Murphy Photography, which she said has a “body positive” mission and a diverse mix of clients of various sizes, ages and ethnicities. She added that she does not depict nudity or sex.
“People are really liking what we’re doing and the message that we’re putting out there,” she told The Post.
Though her photos are not explicit, they can get the heart racing.
They include shots of barely dressed women on all fours, lounging across beds, soaking in tubs or wrapped up in a bondage chain hung from a trellis on the veranda of the historic mansion that Murphy is renting for her operation.
Clients range from ordinary women to fashion influencers, plus-size models and MTV reality-show stars Derynn Paige from “Double Shot at Love” and Angelina Pivarnick from “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation.” There’s also Lola, a stunning brunette and an early client of Murphy’s who now works for the studio as a member of its sales team.
Murphy, a 33-year-old Long Island native, moved her operation from Amityville to Old Westbury in early September and also has a studio in Las Vegas. She acknowledged there has been some pushback from people who use the equestrian facility for training and riding lessons, where prized hunters and jumpers prep for The Hampton Classic, with stalls for 27 horses, the top ones worth as much as $300,000.
“We’re part of a working farm and we are very conscious of everything that’s going on,” Murphy said. “Obviously we don’t want to expose anyone to anything. And everything we do is very tasteful. We’re not doing anything that would be edgy to the point of inappropriate.”
She added: “We just put some fencing up and some shrubbery and we’re putting trees in, so we’re making the experience private — not just for our clients, but for anyone else who’s on the farm.”
Some of the women she photographs are active on Instagram and a few have OnlyFans pages.
“I seriously can’t tell u guys enough how much this photo shoot meant to me,” said Pivarnick in a post on the Alli Murphy Photography website. “I felt comfortable and beautiful.”
The studio is certainly novel for the 6,000-square-foot Gilded Age manse on Store Hill Road. Dubbed Sunridge Hall, the home was built in 1916 for the estate’s owner, Devereux Milburn Sr., a politically connected lawyer and champion polo player — an early resident of an area known for its vast wealth.
The Village of Old Westbury is the wealthiest community on Long Island and the second richest zip code in New York State, according to Bloomberg, with a median household income of $224,250 in 2020 and a median home price of $1.88 million. Among the celebs who live in the town are socialite Cornelia Guest, model Carol Alt and former New York Post owner Peter Kalikow.
Murphy said she came across a listing for the space on a real estate website while searching for a new and bigger location for her studio, and ended up renting the home from the Old Westbury property owner, Manny Malikai.
“I’ve always been obsessed with the Golden Coast and Great Gatsby and that whole era,” she said. “Once we found the space we went there and fell in love with it. We had to make a move and go for it. And we’ve got more bookings in the last 45 days than we’ve ever had. People are really pumped up about it.”
Some less so than others. One horse trainer mom, who met Murphy soon after she moved in, said she seemed “lovely” but was still a bit concerned about the nature of her business.
Laura Ruben, of Cove Neck Equestrian training, noted that a large hot tub was recently delivered to Murphy’s studio, which remains standing on its side outside the house. And she expressed unease about Murphy’s models promoting themselves on the porn-friendly OnlyFans site.
“As a mother of a young child, that”s definitely concerning,” Ruben said.
Village mayor Edward Novick said he was unaware of the studio but said any commercial enterprise needs a special permit to operate — and Alli Murphy Photography has not applied for one as far as he knew.
“I’m going to look into it,” he said. “We’re a residential village, and places like country clubs and the equestrian center have a special-use permit. It requires going before the board of trustees. They have not come on my calendar.”
But another trainer said she was glad to have Murphy and the photographer’s husband, Jason Green, as neighbors.
“I met the family and they kind of keep to themselves,” said Kalyn Fogerty. “I know they have that business and it seems like they empower women so it doesn’t really bother me.”
Murphy said the hot tub was part of a renovation that she and her husband are doing — and won’t be used in any photo shoots.
“We’re breaking boundaries,” she said. “People who maybe at one time felt this wasn’t appropriate are now embracing the experience. It’s motivational to see someone who walks in the door saying, ‘I’m so nervous. I can’t believe I’m even here doing this.’ And then they walk out feeling like a brand new person.”