A flexible embrace
HealthEZ executives pose with retired Vikings defensive tackle John Randall.
Argentine tango can teach a dancer many things. Maestros teach us that the dance is centered in the embrace, and that “the walk” is key. Stick around and you’re sure to learn that “the pause” is as important as a step. Even so, it’s easy to get lost trying to accumulate a catalog of figures: the sacada, the parada, boleos, ganchos, colgadas, cadenas, calesitas, and so on. Yet if you let choreography take over you lose the connection that can make the dance extraordinary. The same can be said of photography.
One starts out learning the mechanics of the camera and its relationship to the lenses. That phase passes quickly. So we move on to composition: The rule of thirds, when to position the subject in the center, the use of leading lines, diagonals, negative space, and the holy grail — the Fibonacci spiral. Some move on to off-camera lighting and its infinite complexities. Get caught up in technique and it is easy to forget why we make a photograph in the first place.
But those who press ahead — sometimes by restarting from the beginning — will be rewarded.
How so?
This summer I was asked to shoot two weddings. Normally I decline. The stress is too great. You can retake a portrait but a wedding is one-and-done. But a friend’s daughter asked me to photograph her wedding at a resort in Nisswa, Minnesota, so I couldn’t refuse. Another friend who regularly shoots weddings asked me to assist her on one of her jobs. Again, I felt obliged.
I also got hired to photograph a corporate event at the Vikings Museum. The sponsor was HealthEZ, an independent third-party insurance administrator. The company executives held a casual meeting at the museum with some of its brokers. The star of the event was John Randall, a former defensive tackle, who schmoozed with the employees and made quick friends with all who attended.
I thoroughly enjoyed these assignments. They were challenging and rewarding, though I still prefer to shoot portraits, dance and street scenes. I’ve been itching to do more of that kind of work.
Last spring I picked up a Profoto Magnum reflector. It’s something I have wanted for a few years, mostly because of the instructional YouTube videos by Daniel Norton at Adorama. He said it was his favorite light modifier. The only thing is, the light can be harsh. You need a model with smooth skin, as it can highlight imperfections.
One day, I was ballroom dancing with such a woman and I decided to ask her to sit for me. Julie Ann Greif has been modeling since she was a teenager. She also is an actor and opera singer. She said she’s been needing some new headshots and agreed to give it a go. It took a few months to find a time that worked for us, but we recently got together for nearly three hours in my basement studio.
Making portraits and headshots with Julie Ann was like the embrace in tango. The results were pleasing, but not so much as the process of getting there.
I am hungry for more. Let’s get together and make a connection, shall we?
