Reflections on a photoshoot with Rankin
I spotted an opportunity to depart my comfort zone and go to a talk, live demo and personal photo shoot with Rankin, undoubtably one of the world’s best portrait photographers. Everyone from Queen Elizabeth II, The Rolling Stones, Bowie, Madonna, Jack Nicholson, Jodie Comer, to name but a few feature in his portfolio.
I gathered in the Groucho club on a mild October morning and reflected on how many parallels there are in the life and work of a portrait photographer and our role as an Executive Coach. Here is a summary of my experience, reflections and learning.
The first thing I noticed was the nervousness of a gathering small crowd of people exchanging small talk. Most of us had a session booked with Rankin and there was universal concern about being exposed in front of the lens and with each other watching. There was absolutely no place to hide.
The session opened with a tour of his work, and his philosophy. It was fascinating to hear about his photo shoot with the Queen and his admission that he photographed the woman not the monarch. It was no doubt an intimidating environment but equally clear that he saw his role to connect with the person and not the the crown. He explained at length his need to connect with people and to create an environment where they could feel natural. comfortable, in control and perhaps even take risks for his camera. Each description was accompanied by a succession of impressive, iconic images.
He explored the fact that everyone has a phone and now communicates through pictures. He also admitted that the photo editing capabilities on an average smart phone have moved on at an incredible pace. His early photoshop learning is now common place. So we asked. ‘What place is there in the world for a professional photographer when the world is just full of pictures?’ Here his confidence came to the fore. He looked at the audience and acknowledged that we would all take some great pictures. But he would do it every time. His professional credibility rests on his ability to spend some time with someone and for them to be impressed with his work. This is not random; he believes it and it will happen.
He also talked at length about self perception and self-esteem. In one case example a series of photos of an amputee made them re-evaluate how they and others saw them and prompted a determination to climb mountains, set stretch goals and break the perceived confines of disability. He notices that a great photo can make someone see themselves differently and more positively.
He invited questions and I asked him about the camera he used. He replied ‘ A really good one but the camera isn’t taking the pictures’. I smiled as I realised how the tech is no doubt important but the work and the image is down to him. ‘A great camera doth not a photographer make’ as we might say.
I was able to watch him weave his magic and perhaps you have in mind a lone guy with a camera and a white umbrella. This image is far from the truth. Each photo was a team effort. He would be on the camera with two or three people moving portable lighting around while two others created artificial wind from the corner of the shot. Behind him a tech expert was running software so that every photo appeared on a large screen as he pressed the shutter while another tech expert was quickly framing and selecting images from the mass of captured moments. We may think one person does all the work but wow this was a team effort.
And so to my photo shoot. I took a deep breath and tried to get myself in a relaxed state of mind ..which is not easy given the mass of tech, cameras and people. But then Rankin gets to work. He asks questions, wants to know what you do; gets a feel for each client. And then with incredible confidence he directed operations. Suddenly you find yourself responding to his request for movement and he starts clicking away. And in the background you become aware of the audience (some 15 people) muttering things like ‘oh wow thats amazing, you look incredible’. One is reminded that it is not Cindy Crawford on the screen but me. And here I am looking great in front of other people. The massage to the ego is quite profound. Some 60 pictures later he invited me to have a look and select some. How strange it is to see yourself with multiple personalities on a screen. There is no doubt new versions of myself appeared before my eyes. What an amazing experience that left me full of reflective questions. Here are some for you:
To what extent are you able to strip away the status from your clients and work as equals?
I was struck by Rankin’s incredible confidence in describing his own work and reflected on my own modesty. How much confidence do you have in your coaching skills and do you mask this when you talk to people about what you do?
You could hand his camera over to any of us and we would probably take very average pictures. In the coaching world our toolkit is based around questions and reflection. I wonder how much our tools impact our work and whether they too could be meaningless in the hands of amateurs.
It seems a great photo can transform how someone sees themselves. What is the coaching equivalent of such a shift in the room?
When was the last time you personally felt nervous and exposed in a room full of strangers?
How do you respond to enthusiastic feedback that you don’t expect?
Do you like having your photo taken????