Sweet spot

The rough life... drinking premium rum and surfing the internet in a posh, air-conditioned airport loungue, waiting for my flight to be called to return from a fun and interesting portrait job in Barbados. I think I need a vacation.

The shoot was for a new client, The Guardian's Weekend Magazine, which always gets me pretty jazzed. But really everything has been going my way on this short trip. The flights worked out, and I was automatically upgraded to business class. The taxi ride was quick and cheap, and I found the location easily (not always that easy when you don't really have an address). The subject, a former pro horse jockey, was very cool to work with, and gave me a ton of time. I felt good shooting, trying a huge variety of set-ups and approaches, and ultimately I was blessed with some beautiful golden hour light just before sunset to finish the whole thing off. And Barbados itself was so charming... the cool breezes off the ocean, the incredibly blue water, and, well, the rum.

In short, I felt like I was in the sweet spot on this assignment. Even when things went wrong (I'm going to throw my 580EX Canon flash into the fucking ocean, the piece of shit), I was easily able to make something else work. I saw the angles, and opportunities clearly. I was able to make the subject comfortable, even though he wasn't that at ease in front of a camera. I found details to give the client more flexibility. And I found a way to tell the story that might please the three of us: me, the client, and the subject.

It's such a great feeling coming home from a job that the client has spent a good bit of money on, and knowing that they are going to be really happy with the images. I work hard to make sure that they have something solid, no matter the circumstances, but its that much better when things have come together to give you an opportunity to really kick ass. And on top of all of that, I made a friend in the subject. Looking forward to the next trip and a few more Carib, Lee!

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Comments (6)

This is so good to hear John! Do you already know when the Guardian's Weekend Magazine with that story will come out? I am curious to see it...

Great to hear about stuff like this.
A real nice yang to the yin of your previous post.

Bastard!!!!

Quite the life John. Barbados is a beautiful island. However if you ever really want to see some true beauty, fly about 60 miles north west to St.Lucia - I was born and raised there ..love them Bajans though. Even have some in my family :)

As far as rum. St.Lucian rum fails miserably when compared to Barbados. Those Bajans know how to ferment some cane juice.

That's great that someone appreciates your work to pay your expenses for an Caribbean trip. Must make you feel good. Congrats. I too would be interested in seeing the results. And you're very right about keeping your cool when things don't always go right. I think if you do that your creative mind doesn't shut down so quickly and you still come up with a good solution.

Best to you,
Sherman

great to see you are still leading the charmed life

thanks for the birthday wishes

cheers

Thanks all -- I'm not sure when the cover story will run, but I'll post clips once it does, hopefully soon.

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