Vanguard Chief

CASE STUDY #26 Vanguard Chief

CAMERA: Hasselblad 503cw LENS: 120mm macro

FILM: Kodak EPP

EXPOSURE: f/8 at 1 / 30 second

LIGHTING: large softbox for the main light; white reflector for fill

Assignment Business Week magazine hired me to photograph CEO John Brennan of the Vanguard Group.

Visual Objective I wanted to place Mr. Brennan in an unbusinesslike environment with a strong graphic background.

Posing I call this the “GQ” pose. I don’t often use it, but it seemed to fit Mr. Brennan’s personality. What I had read about him was that he was a real hands-on executive who would periodically even answer calls from customers—pretty impressive for a guy whose company manages hundreds of billions of dollars. The glass ledge allowed him to lean back, relaxing his pose. my assistant and adjusted my shutter speed until the light looked balanced. Mr. Brennan soon arrived and asked what he should do. He smiled when I told him I was going for the “James Dean look.” I took about four rolls of film in fifteen minutes, then thanked him for his time.

Tips Hallways, lobbies, entryways, and stairwells are often more interesting than offices, so don’t overlook them in your location scouting. Reception areas also tend to be well decorated in high-end corporations—but to shoot there, you’ll have to convince the client to close down the area temporarily to avoid distractions.

The Story When I arrived at the Vanguard headquarters (two hours before the session to ensure I’d have time to scout the location) a public relations person showed me around. It was raining, meaning working outside was not an option, so I decided to go to the cafeteria for some tea—a lucky break. When I entered the top level of the high-tech cafeteria, I saw my frame: an overview of the entire space with exposed beams, hanging light fixtures and long glass windows.

My assistant and I set up one light (a large softbox) on a portable boom stand. I took some Polaroids of

large softbox silver reflector

LIGHTING CASE STUDIES 75