Pro-photography portraits of executives and dignitaries, are exciting and challenging. But there are times when I’m asked not to show the glorious results on my websites. I can’t show the creative, stunning, superlative, once-in-a-lifetime work from a recent executive-portrait photo-shoot. I mustn’t even mention the name of my client. This may be my magnum opus of a lifetime of professional photo-shoots and I can’t show it. Okay, maybe the phrase magnum opus (from the Latin meaning “great work”,[1] refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of an artist.) is a bit of an exaggeration, but I really do like the proofs.
What is allowed to post here are the results from the scouting trip of the executive portrait photo-shoot which was done a week prior. Now, the term executive portrait photo-shoot is probably misleading. If one thinks about the three branches of government, my client would be found under one of the two branches that is NOT the executive branch – I didn’t get the plumb assignment of photographing President Obama. The term executive portrait photography is for for SEO purposes. No one ever googles legislative portrait photography or judicial portrait photography. But I’ve been delighted to learn that many of my clients found me by googling executive portraits or CEO portrait photographers.
From the first meeting with my client, I was made to feel at ease and natural in my client’s awesome work environment. With a persona of quiet confidence, and insightful wit, I felt as if I were in the company of Henry David Thoreau or Thomas Jefferson. When the topic our conversation drifted to what is currently a hot national debate and the Colorado interpretation of it, my client nonchalantly said, “oh yes, I wrote that.”
Readers might wonder why in the world I’d write about a non-executive portrait photo-shoot of a client who can’t shown or named. I’ve got eight months of material from cool aviation photo-shoots, executive portraits, (of course), editorial photo-shoots and family portraits on location. So why did I choose to write about my secret client? Well… I really like these shots from the scout.
My intent with this post is to show the importance of location. As some other photographers may have learned, finding a dynamic location and then finding the background inside the location is as important as lighting, composition or expression.
Although we agreed that the Greek/Roman architecture is stunning in photography, my client opted for the modern contrast of light and shadow as represented here.
Here are a few of previous portraits I did of my client’s colleagues. I didn’t do the painted portraits (bottom right).
Make-up artist Suzanne Blons at work.
