Portraits

Creating a strong portrait of an executive is a daunting task. Business magazine photographers often have only a few minutes with their subjects, so most shots are scouted and planned in advance. And when a portrait needs to convey authority and power, funky poses won’t do. Yet despite these limitations, magazine photographer Brad Trent finds a little spontaneity and adds a dash of drama by pulling back the curtain, and the camera, to reveal the wizardry of his set, including his lighting tools.

What’s your typical day? It’s tough to say. Tomorrow I’m photographing hippos in Animal Kingdom, because we have a new Experience there. Normally I’d be doing a studio job—we try not to have our photo shoots overlap when guests are in the park. What’s best about the job? The diversity. Disney is a huge company, with theme parks, resorts, a travel business, TV networks, retail stores. I could be going to Germany to shoot for a cruise ship or to the new resort in Hawaii. How did you start there?

In September’s lighting, “Lovely Light,” August Bradley showed how, with about $17,000 in gear, you can make a stunning beauty portrait. Here at the opposite end of the cost spectrum, resolutely self-reliant David Becker, 27, used a homemade macro ring flash—and not even a tripod—to make an equally awesome portrait of his own eye. 

What do medial photographers actually do?