Sam’s Story
Road Trip
"You should come to Chicago, and I'll photograph you." Little did I know.
I'd met Sam(antha) on a sales call a few days before. She'd called me to follow up on my interest in her company. Despite turning her down, we hit it off immediately with a great conversation, then responding to each others' LinkedIn posts (Sam is a LI strategist) and carrying on PM conversations about business, marketing, places we'd lived, and photography.
During one of our PM conversations about photography I half joked that she should come to Chicago, and I'd photograph her. (Sam lived in Vancouver but was staying in Windsor, Canada, and so I figured it was unlikely that would happen any time in the near future.) She replied, "Maybe I'll make a road trip!" Little did I know what an adventurous soul Sam is. A few days later she messaged, "I'm driving to Chicago this weekend!"
Alright! So this is happening in a few days! Time to get to work!
The Challenge
My invitation to Sam was very open-ended -- whatever kind of photographs she wanted, whether personal or professional. As we discussed the shoot several things emerged:
The priority for the images would be professional. She'd recently changed her hair color and wanted her professional photos updated.
I'd experienced Sam as warm, open-hearted and adventurous, so I wanted to make sure we captured those dimensions of her.
Sam's position is that of a LinkedIn Strategist and Sales Navigator expert, so I wanted to add some authority to her images. She's not just a young, friendly face. She's got a piercing intelligence and some real tech chops going on.
Since she wouldn't be traveling from home to Chicago, Sam would be arriving with only the most basic wardrobe available.
The Prep
I don't believe in a dress up, show up and shoot approach to brand photography. I want to get to know my clients, discern the essence of what makes them unique, meet their professional needs and empower them.
I asked Sam to gather reflections from friends and family to validate my perceptions of her in an "essence exercise". We then named Sam's essence with the following words: Openness | Light | Joy | Generosity | Adventure. These are the words and qualities that would guide us in our photo session and empower Sam to show up fully present.
On a marathon phone call Sam texted me photos of every item of clothing in her suitcase. We agreed on a pair of nice jeans and a couple of t-shirts. Then I went shopping and found the killer jacket you see below. I love the vividness of the orange and the bold, broad lapels. Badassity Brand Photography is all about making a statement in your images.
I identified outdoor shooting locations near where Sam would be staying in Chicago's Greek Town.
Sam made all her travel arrangements and drove the five hours to Chicago, arriving late Friday night.
The Shoot
Sam and I just beat the rush for Saturday breakfast at a neighborhood diner in the South Loop. (Lou Mitchells, if you know Chicago.) We quickly agreed that the weather had turned too cold and windy to comfortably shoot outdoors. So Plan B. We'd shoot in the vast spaces of Union Station just a few blocks away. Beautiful marble columns and fantastic natural light!
We picked out an unoccupied corner next to a light post in the near-empty station as a place to work from and set down our bags of equipment and wardrobe. (Sam chose to make wardrobe changes behind the light post to avoid the long trek to the restroom!)
We picked an initial outfit and starting making some test shots. And a challenge immediately emerged. Sam called it her "dead face".
We all have our "resting faces" and "camera faces" that are typically driven by survival mechanism. Sam was already aware of her face's tendency to go flat and affect-less when she's self-conscious. So we did a lot of playful things to loosen up and get her out of her head -- moving around, making silly faces, joking and laughing. I worked with her to master "the squinch" to convey focus and authority.
Throughout she was playful and a joy to work with. Very coachable and had her own ideas. for photos She's got a great eye for light. At one point she picked up the camera and took a few photos of the architecture!
When Sam slipped on the orange jacket, magic really began to happen. It just elevated everything we were doing. It immediately raised her status.
We found a glorious patch of natural light from the skylight.
We keyed off of different essence words to subtly shift Sam's emotional context.
We explored different set ups, using columns and stairs.
We then cabbed it to the Art Institute, one of my favorite locations to shoot, and made some additional images.
Finally, we parted, and I met up with some visiting relatives. Sam spent the afternoon exploring Chicago and drove back to Windsor.
The Results
The resulting images were stunning. Above is the image Sam had been using professionally and one of my favorite images from our shoot.
Notice:
The new image is VIVID, and communicates Sam's aliveness.
The surroundings communicate metaphorically that Sam inhabits a grand, public space. It raises her status.
Her body language is confident. She owns her space.
The wardrobe says hip, fashionable, sophisticated flair. She's not afraid to stand out.
Needless to say, Sam loves her new photos. We're still discussing which one she likes best.
Life (and photography) is so much sweeter when it's lived from a spirit of adventure!
