Shooting—that is what gets me out of bed in the morning. It’s funny, but when the days are filled with marketing, phone calls, web updates and accounting, it’s all I can do to pull my head away from my pillow. But when I am shooting, it’s a totally different story. The chance to make a beautiful image is sublime. Whether it’s a beautiful blonde in a swimsuit or an overweight businessman in a slightly snug suit, when I take a shot and know that the lighting and the positioning are right, I can feel it in my toes. I guess that is what makes my work so exciting, having the opportunity to shoot so many different subjects. I guess if I was a fashionista or a foodie, I’d completely dedicate myself to one of those fields, but let’s face it, who doesn’t enjoy a change of scenery.
The other day I had what can only be called a photo-filled-day-o-rama. I had three clients, all in need of images immediately. Through careful planning, I was able to stack them all together into one day, maximizing my time and ensuring that I could deliver the right shot for each. As each of the shoots required a different net result, I made a detailed plan the day before, to ensure that the day would go without a hitch. I sketched out my lighting for each shoot, made a detailed list of all of the equipment I needed throughout the day, packed my bags, charged all batteries, gave a call to Marek–who would be my assistant for the day, and finally plotted my journey from home to shoot A to B and then to C. When my alarm went off the next morning, I was rearing to go.
Cut-out shot on the left, Composite on the right.
The first shoot for the day was to create a couple of images for a mortgage brokering firm in “the City.” When people say “the City,” they are referring to the area that was the historical center of the original Roman settlement Londinium. Today this area is the heart of the UK’s finance industry, and arguably the heart of all international banking. At the center of the City sits the Bank of England, affectionately known as the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, and next to the Bank is my favorite building in London, the Royal Exchange. Londoners also commonly refer to the City as “the square mile,” because the original settlement was one mile by one mile and surrounded by a great wall. Remnants of the wall still remain, and if you know where to look, you can still see sections that remain.
Bank is the main underground station at the center of the City, and is notoriously busy in the mornings and evenings. Though the journey to Bank lasted just over half an hour, it felt like a lifetime. If you haven’t experienced the joys of a London tube journey at rush hour, I highly recommend you give it a miss. Crammed between a man with headphones tinning out some head-banger hit and a woman with too much perfume applying eyeshadow while standing on a speeding train is not my idea of a good time. Then of course there are the never-ending glares that other passengers are giving me because I had my an entire portable studio along for the ride. Still, once situated in place, the trip advanced with relative ease, nothing compared to what Marek and I would face once we reached Bank.
Bank at 8:45 am is one of the most frenetic places I have ever been. Why I agreed to shoot there at that time of day is beyond me, but keeping a stiff upper lip and all that, we soldiered through the crowd. Picture Disneyland at 9:00 am on the fourth of July: a seemingly endless sea of people all pushing to get to the front of the line, only to turn a corner and find another line of equally epic proportions snaking its way into the horizon–that is what Bank is like every morning. Marek and I let the bulk of the people pass. Seeing a small break in the crowd, we jumped in to secure a place before another train could arrive, spitting out another throng of people. I was glad to have Marek with me. Apart from being a very talented photographer and an exceptional assistant, he is both tall and strong, two qualities well suited for schlepping heavy gear up and down the tube system.
We got to my client’s office and set up. I was shooting two images both on white background, one of a youthful man in a call center headset, the other of a confident gray-haired guy to be the face of their business. This photo was to be shot as a cut-out, meaning that the person would be cut out of the image and put onto an other background. My client had already selected the background, but now needed the right face to represent their brand. I really enjoy shooting for spec, because it means that my client has really thought through what they want. Many times when working with small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the customer knows they need something, but can’t quite put their finger on what they want. They know if something is wrong, but many times are unable to articulate what is right. Fortunately for me, however, Rob at Capital Fortune knew what he wanted. He and I had considered a number of different models, and then settled on someone Rob knew. A lawyer by day, our subject embraced his role as a model and as the face of Capital Fortune, and we swiftly got the shot we needed. No time to rest, we had another shoot to get to.
Leaving Capital Fortune’s office, I was struck at how quiet the City was. In less than forty-five minutes the madness had been transformed into a nearly zen-like garden. I could almost hear the birds chirping in the distance. Clearly all the bankers were off counting money and doing whatever else bankers do. Marek and I, however, were delighted by the great fortune of getting back onto the tube without passing anyone. Destination: Finchley Central. This was the first time I’d travelled this far north. Living in south London, it’s not uncommon to never go north of the Euston Road. The City and the West End are the typical stops, but unless there is a reason to go beyond your hood, you just don’t. When I first moved to London, I was told about the north/south divide.The Thames cuts the city in two. People who live on one side rarely cross over to the other side. I have one friend who simply said, “I never go south. I’m north of the river, south of [Hyde] Park.” The only fitting reply to that is, “I’m south of the River, North of Croydon.” Funny, but my version just doesn’t conjure up the same visuals.
The second shoot of the day was a series of three portraits of property developer Jonathan Salsbury. Like my previous client, Jonathan had thought about the distinct purposes for his portraits. One was for his company’s web site, one for LinkedIn and a final portrait for Facebook. I find it incredibly interesting how in the space of just four years, how LinkedIn and Facebook have forged their place within the overall market approach for businesses. Recognizing the importance of each medium, Jonathan wanted to vary the way he was portrayed in each, while maintaining a consistent caliber of photography for each.
Assessing the space, I got to work lighting each shot. As his company was quite conservative, I chose soft lighting accented by soft shadows. Using the same white background as before, I simply didn’t light it, resulting in a pale gray effect. For LinkedIn, we chose a more trendy lighting style. Strong shadows against a stark white door, a touch of fashion to this mover and shaker. Finally for his Facebook portrait, a softer, kinder look created by softer, kinder light–generated by the sun and a reflector. When I’d taken the last frame, I knew we had achieved our objective. A quick sandwich and off to our final shoot of the day.
We arrived at the Dorchester Hotel just before 4:00. Upon entering the elevator, Marek gave me a giant grin. He’d not been to the Dorchester before and it was the perfect place to end our day. While the brief for this shoot was a bit less structured, I knew the task at hand–to create one beautiful shot that could be used to promote a men’s underwear show that was being held during London Fashion Week. The designer greeted me warmly. I met the models and from there set out to create the exact effect. The room itself was tastefully decorated in soft neutrals, but I wanted some drama. A mirror shot, using ambient lighting and a tight grid spot made for a lovely shot.
After packing up our gear and saying our goodbyes, Marek and I nipped into a cab headed to Victoria Station. We giggled at the span of work accomplished in those short eight hours. From the City to the inner suburbs and back to the West End. From banker to developer to fashion model, it was a day of wild contrasts with peaks at every stop along the way. While looking out the window of the cab, I couldn’t help but think that it was this kind of variety kept my motor running. Certainly, it isn’t necessary to do this every single day, but maintaining the freedom to shoot a wide range of subjects does keep it interesting. Over the last several years, I have met several art directors who want to place my work into a box. They claim this makes it easier for them to find the right person for a specific job. I’m very interested in turning the question back to them: if you are a design agency and have just finished a brochure for a bank, does that mean you can only do brochures or only work with banks? If you are a graphic designer and have created a logo for a ketchup bottle, does that mean you only work with bottles? Do you ever venture beyond tomato-based foods? People are generally my preferred subject of choice. But once the lighting is right, and the styling is just so, it is the connection with my subject–whether a fashion model or a corporate titan–and listening to their stories, that gives me the variety I love.
