“I want a shot with lighting that creates an atmosphere around the subject,” the client said while looking through your book for the upcoming shoot. “Something that makes the image ‘jump’ off the page, you know what I mean?”
He removes the cigar from his face with short, stubby hands and looks at you… waiting for an answer.
You quickly formulate the fact that the guy is a little nuts, but he pays well so let’s give it a go..
You nod your head in agreement without stating the obvious;
“No, I have no idea what you are seeing inside your brain, Mr. Client, but now I am feeling a little on the edge of disaster here…”
He reaches for a stack of magazines on the ground and points to a cover shot of a local magazine… “Like this, with cool lighting and stuff.”
The cigar ash falls on one of the covers and you start to back away slowly, expecting the whole place to be engulfed by an all-consuming raging fire.
Now you are starting to think that this professional photography thing may be a little over the top of strange when you suddenly realize you can do something like that.
It is not easy, but with a few lights, a couple of reflectors, maybe a desk lamp or two, you could create an image of the subject that has that ethereal, otherworldly, sort of cool like in Vanity Fair sort of way…
BTW: It has to be a square crop. And it has to be in color.
And it has to pull people into the magazine the moment they lay eyes on it… got that!!! Good.
(NOTE: This one is based on an actual assignment given to a friend of mine a couple of years ago.)
What are YOU going to do with it?
