Money Shot

When I got the call to photograph congressional candidate Janice Arnold-Jones I was a bit surprised.  Certainly I am not known as a editorial portrait photographer so I asked Janice’s emissary why she had called me.   Suzanne Brock who made the call simply said that she knew me socially, knew I was a photographer and wondered if I did such work.  My somewhat indirect answer was that “I’d be delighted to do it.”

When I arrived at the Brock’s magnificent hacienda on the rim of the Rio Pueblo gorge I scouted for locations with soft light and open shade, no mean task at 1:30 on a spring afternoon.  The entry courtyard proved ideal though later we took some chances in gusty winds and midday sun.

I sat with the candidate for a few minutes to learn what she wanted the images to project.  She said she wanted to be engaging and friendly while maintaining a sense of command and confidence.  She wanted to appear natural and to really connect with her eyes, to jump off the paper or screen.

As we walked to the courtyard I remembered the portrait photographer’s mantra, “Get the money shot first.”  I told Janice that we’d get that one in the can then get more adventurous as we got to know each other.

Above is the third in 312 images and is a money shot in my view.  

 In shot two Janice becomes more relaxed and animated and below she’s downright playful.