The Bodyguard

Photographers Comments
This guy called me at 4am yesterday and insisted I took his portrait today. He is a retired celebrity bodyguard. His face was very scarred and it was hard to take the bad scars ones out but it looked not too bad in the end.
My highest portrait commission yet. I was paid £350 for a half hour shoot, cash. He wants one 40 X 40 print. The stories he told me are typical of people in that line of work. At the end of the day I just thought he had a fantastic face. Really enjoyed the shoot.

I forgot to post the proper size...I am so busy I am getting sloppy, sorry guys.

sloppy SLOPPY..?? this aint good enough,. i am not standing for this!!!! i am going to have to recommend a raft of penalties and surcharges for this blatant disregard of PT....

Anyway, nice portrait dude, very evocative and his face tells so many stories, most prob after the watershed..nice tones, good mono and well framed. you can spot the weariness in his eyes though...guess with that line of work it aint a job for life..

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Wow, thats one powerful image! The connection from the eyes is amazing, you can almost feel the menace, but somehow he appears a bit vulnerable at he same time - perhaps the pursed lips give that impression.

Great shot, especially with being up so early (or late!)

Peter

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Fair play mate, wish I could earn £700 an hour.
All your stuff is top notch, even something you've never done before (e.g. the fly).
I'd like to see an 800px version of this one, what a face... not sure I'd like to see it in the mirror every day tho!

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I thought it had gone up bigger mate...

Tco

Your shots are normally top-notch, but I'm sorry, this one doesn't do all that much for me. Why?

You said it took 30mins. Why? You lifted £350 from him. Had that been me I would have wanted to spend at least half a day with him. Was that just the shoot time, or did you spend time talking to him first? He certainly has an interesting face, and I would have wanted to explore different possibilities of shooting him. Was he pressed for time? I have spent some time looking at this, longer than I spend on most shots, and all I am left with is a feeling of sadness.

Sorry to be so negative, I have thought carefully about this reply, but it's just the way I see it.

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No worries mate, don't feel bad I love the comments !!!

The shoot was actually around 7 minutes the rest of the time was chat. I always talk to clients first. I try to see what mood they are in and then try and get them to forget the cam and continue to talk about how they feel while I shoot.

As for the money...I never 'lifted ' sod all mate, that suggests I ripped him off. No no no. He has seen my work from another customer. I am stacked out at the moment and said I could only give him half hour. He suggested a price to make it worth my while and I said yes. Almost no photoshop whatsoever.

This is a job bud..Sometimes I get a kick out of a shoot and other times its a job and money. This was exactly what he wanted. i doubt I will ever see him again. He is really pleased and for me thats a done and shut job.

Its ok that you don't like it!!!! it really is buddy. In fact I am glad you don't, its nice to get some crits.

Its a bread and butter shot Rob, simple as that. no creative input been included.

This is the kind of pic I love taking...it has minimal post work, no fuss, no bother...a plain and honest portrait in mono.....how beautifully simple is that? Well paid and one happy punter...I wish every day was like today.

Sometimes you just have clients who know exactly what they want and when they see a shot, know they dont need to mess about trying for more..some people are just in and out...they like it simple. They have respect for you as a professional for getting the job and allowing them to continue their day without you taking up most of it..
I'd agree with 'ols smoothy up above about wanting to spend plenty of time to really get some amazing images but, job first, portfolio second. Cant really expect any more from them if they are happy after 7 mins. says to me what a Good, Professional photographer he worked with who understood him..

OK brown nosing over...

__________________
The summer is here and the time is right,
We're going racing in the street....Bruce Springsteen

Canon Forever

1Dmk2,10D, 20mm,28-70mm,200mm, Elinchrom3000,1500,600's,500's, Multiblitz200,Bronica SQb, expensive Manfrotto tripod

TCO

I'm sorry I used the word 'lifted', I didn't mean to imply it wasn't worth £350. I'm just surprised that some people will pay that sort of money. Perhaps I need to become a portrait photographer - I am seriously considering it.

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The world needs smoothing out.

http://www.carregwenimages.com

Rob...don't worry about it mate, no problem at all.
Again , it was him who dictated the price in order to get the sitting. Normally the price would have been a lot less (25 quid for the sitting and the price of the print).

Whether things are worth it or not is a huge debate on its own. If someone is willing to pay the loot and they are aware of what they will get then I guess its worth it.

Have you heard the amount of people that have been stung by venture? ( I know you are aware of them) I had one couple come to me after splashing out 1200 quid with those guys. The mind boggles. There was a time when I thought 'streuth I can't charge this?!' but at the end of the day I have bills to pay and a family to provide for. Work varies from week to week so I grab the dosh when I can bud.
Andy (eos1Nrs) works for a reputable studio in the south and his work commands high prices...people pay them. Some folk will pay crazy amounts of money (i.e David Bailey commissions...oh wow! I wish!!!)



I do appreciate the comments mate. Glad you spoke yer mind. Just because I get paid for this is does not mean I am some kind of master, far from it. Many of you guys on here are easily capable of shooting for a living. Most of the time you don't actually spend shooting though. Its a lot of paperwork, stress and chasing money/punters.

Donkey boy cheers for the comments mate. I know you love me but I refuse to send you a signed pic of my nipples no matter how much you beg. And cheers for those pics you sent....I will be doing something with those