A few years ago, I interviewed celebrity portrait photographer Chris Buck on his work. One thing I’ve always loved about interviewing Buck is that he has the most interesting and entertaining stories about meeting and photographing his well-known subjects.
One of my favorite stories that he shared with me was how he was able to get a well-known US politician from the 1970s to pose for a photo in a somewhat vulnerable way – and how he almost didn’t get the photo.
In 1996, Buck photographed the former senator and former Democratic presidential candidate, George McGovern, in just skimpy Speedo swim trunks. Here’s what happened during the shoot:
“I had shot him at a summer cottage with his family,” says Buck. “When I met him, he was walking up from the beach and was in a Speedo bathing suit and looked amazing. He was in his seventies!”
Buck says the former senator went in and changed into regular clothes for the shoot. But just after the session, Buck mentioned to his assistant that he wished he could have shot him in the bathing suit. His assistant replied, “You should ask him.”
So, Buck asked McGovern, “Would you pose in a bathing suit as you were when we first met you?”
At first, McGovern said no. But when Buck said that he wouldn’t hand it into Newsweek but wanted it for his portfolio, McGovern agreed. “So he put his bathing suit back on,” says Buck. “And we shot him against a seamless in the cottage. And it’s just amazing. Even now, 20 years later, people look at it and ask, ‘How on earth did you get it?’”
For photographers, the takeaway is simple: If you have an experimental idea for a shot, just ask your subject and see what he or she says. “I think when you really believe in your idea,” Buck says, “and if you ask it in a way that doesn’t undermine your narrative, a lot of times it will work.”
For those interested in learning more from Chris Buck and his approach to portrait photography, he has an upcoming workshop: The Surprising Portrait Workshop is June 20-22, in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY.
It features three days of personalized photo assignments & critiques, portfolio reviews, a portrait demo and a VIP guest. The VIP this year is Amy Kellner, senior photo editor of The New York Times Magazine, and a top industry professional with fantastic insights and a great eye.
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