Tender Tough Guy
CASE STUDY #29
CAMERA:
Hasselblad 503c
LENS:
120mm macro FILM:
EXPOSURE:
Fuji RDP
f/8 at 1/125 second
LIGHTING:
Profoto 800ws pack with medium softbox as main light; silver reflector for fill; diffused 40-degree grid on background
Assignment
and so on. This simple one is still one of my favorites,
My celebrity stock agency assigned me to photograph
though. It seems to capture Mr. Assante’s personality.
the actor Armand Assante at his home. The images
At the end of a long day of shooting, Mr. Assante
were for use in promoting the actor.
invited my assistant and me to stay for dinner. He had prepared a great Italian meal, and we ended up eating
Visual Objective
and drinking until midnight.
Mr. Assante is known for his tough-guy roles, and I wanted to reflect that in his wardrobe and the texture
Tips
of the image. The black leather jacket against the mot-
Always try to create lighting that matches your sub-
tled canvas background seemed to set the stage.
ject and the mood.
Posing
Mr. Assante was a natural in front of the camera. This spun glass over 40-degree grid on background
image was created during the last setup of the day and we were all tired. This was a good thing, though, because Armand was letting down his guard in terms of posing. Having him tuck his chin in, wrap his arms around himself, and look straight into the lens produced a strong look. The Story
This was a fun day. My assistant and I packed up the car and drove north out of New York City to Mr. As-
silver reflector for fill
medium softbox as main light
sante’s upstate New York farm. He had given me the whole day to photograph him and was open to all my ideas—which doesn’t happen too often. I set up a studio to shoot the publicity shots, then scouted around the farm and set up additional shots at the horse stable, inside the house in the library, in the living room, LIGHTING CASE STUDIES
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