It's that time again; Time to shoot the National Trade Ads for Jewelers Mutual. With that on the front burner, I reflect on last year when I flew to NYC to photograph
Stephen Webster. Stephen is a jewelry designer from London, who's jewelry is sought after by such stars as Madonna, Sienna Miller, Elton John and Christina Aguilera. Upon first meeting him, I was a bit awe struck; this was a man who resembled Keith Richards, creates kick ass hardcore rocker jewelry, hob nobs with the rich & famous, and trekked cross country in a '59 T-bird. And as if this wasn't enough, he blogged these trekking adventures
thru and traveled
with a
mummy puppet that had an uncanny resemblance to none other than....himself.
Anyway, this is how it went down:
We were scheduled to photograph Stephen in the early afternoon, squeezing in between his In Style magazine shoot and an E! Entertainment interview. But the plane was late, and we missed our window. Onto Plan B - a night shoot. (Always have a Plan B) We land @ 5:45pm, grab the gear in baggage claim, call the assistant and tell him to sit tight; we were on our way. We jump into a cab and speed off to the SoHo House in Manhattan. Traffic is a nightmare (imagine Main St. on anabolic steroids) and we need to have our shots by 7:30pm because Stephen has dinner plans. We finally arrive @ 6:30pm. We jump out of the cab, shake hands with the assistant, and, in the time it takes to roll into the lobby and climb 3 floors in the elevator, explain to him the importance of how we need to make this happen in little time.
In this blog entry, there is really no way I can explain the feeling I had, anticipating what was going to happen in the next 60 minutes, unless I were to write a small novel. So, I'll make it easier for all of us, and skip to the end. Stephen was awesome. Super style, super chill and a slam dunk when it comes to being a photographer's dream. What IS a photographer's dream, you ask? Great hair, incredible style, a relaxed disposition, and excellent music playing in the background. Mix these altogether and you have the perfect atmosphere for the shoot. Although I only spent about 30 brief minutes with Mr. Stephen Webster, it is definitely a shoot I will never forget.
Special Thanks to Wendy at JM and Frank and Laurie at Luxury Brands. You guys are great!
