Work, Journal
08.18.18
08.18.18
Gavin Newsom for Rolling Stone
Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor of California. Former Mayor of San Francisco. Photographed for Rolling Stone at Balboa Cafe in San Francisco. This shoot was a big deal for me, it happened last August on the day I ended up taking a redeye to Norway. Big day, that day.
Details are a little vague a year later but I think we had 30-45 minutes with Gavin. For these kind of shoots, I prep a lot more than when I have the whole day, or most of the day with someone, where you don’t have much time to allow for spontaneity. Luckily I knew Gavin had spent a lot of time in front of the lens so he wouldn’t need any time to warm up or normalize in front of the camera. I prescouted a couple days before, and had three shots I wanted to do. On the shoot day, we got started a little late but I took a risk and went for double or nothing by aiming for the three different setups including a two block sprint up the street to get the hill pitch I had scouted. Classic Fogust as well, so lighting and gelling and moving equipment around like you’re a short order cook. You prep and prep and preliight then a frenzy then poof, it’s over, and you’re standing there like “dang did that all really happen?”.
Gavin was kind and genial gentleman. No handler, just a solid handshake with one hand while holding a tall cup of coffee in the other, a “show up and tell me where you need me to stand” kind of guy. The rainbow portrait was an allusion to his leadership on same sex marriage in San Francisco; the prism I used now sits on my desk.
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Details are a little vague a year later but I think we had 30-45 minutes with Gavin. For these kind of shoots, I prep a lot more than when I have the whole day, or most of the day with someone, where you don’t have much time to allow for spontaneity. Luckily I knew Gavin had spent a lot of time in front of the lens so he wouldn’t need any time to warm up or normalize in front of the camera. I prescouted a couple days before, and had three shots I wanted to do. On the shoot day, we got started a little late but I took a risk and went for double or nothing by aiming for the three different setups including a two block sprint up the street to get the hill pitch I had scouted. Classic Fogust as well, so lighting and gelling and moving equipment around like you’re a short order cook. You prep and prep and preliight then a frenzy then poof, it’s over, and you’re standing there like “dang did that all really happen?”.
Gavin was kind and genial gentleman. No handler, just a solid handshake with one hand while holding a tall cup of coffee in the other, a “show up and tell me where you need me to stand” kind of guy. The rainbow portrait was an allusion to his leadership on same sex marriage in San Francisco; the prism I used now sits on my desk.
