In one of my screenwriting classes, we looked at the set up in The Usual Suspects. Do you remember it? The mealy mouthed cripple, Verbal Kint, in the detective’s office, says of Keyser Soze, “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”

That line haunts you the rest of the film. That is a great set up. And the genius of the line is it takes a complicated theme and puts it into incredibly simple terms.

This same idea can be used, to great effect, in photography as well.

This is a subject I’ve been thinking about quite a bit lately and I’m not sure where I first encountered it in practice (the only place I can think to point to is Dan Winters, who does it infinitely better than anyone), but simplicity – simple light, simple composition, simple posture – is the best way I’ve found to expose for honest emotion.

I recently did portraits for Need Him, a non-profit whose mission is to give people a chance to hear the story of God’s love for mankind as it was personified in Jesus. They wanted their story to be told with authenticity, so early on, the decision was made to cast ordinary people instead of models.

However, people are a complicated tangle of story lines and emotions and most put up high walls that hide the honest, authentic emotion from strangers. Putting a camera in their face or being placed under a bunch of lights while being told what to do only adds to their discomfort.

So, as excited as I was about the opportunity to explore some of the complexity that real people bring with them, I knew that in order to create an environment where that could happen, I would need a simple set up.

I used a single head, camera left, as my key & outfitted it with a 1×4 strip box placed just in front of the subject & the spill from that strobe gave me just enough exposure on the background. For a bit of fill, I placed my 5-in-1 reflector, the translucent white part, on a light stand opposite the key. Occasionally I threw in a stool or a posing table for my subject to interact with. Each person ended up needing a subtle tweak to the positions of the key & reflector, but the simplicity of the set up helped me take down the walls and created a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere for exploring a range of emotion.

Going back to The Usual Suspects, you don’t fully understand the power of Verbal’s line from the first of the film until he reprises it at the end, in voice over, as the detective scrambles out to the street, having put all the details together and we see the cripple lose his limp and transform into Keyzer Soze – the Devil himself. It’s one of the most rewarding film endings I can think of and not because you are aware of the story telling technique being used. It’s rewarding because of what you’re seeing happen on the screen.

Just like in the movies, a simple photography set up isn’t effective because it’s simple; it’s effective because the resulting photographs make the viewer feel what you want them to feel – in this case, to feel a connection with the universal human longings for purpose, meaning, hope and joy.

On a related note, Need Him has been running a really great television spot that touches on these themes & they also launched their new website. If you have a minute, check them out.

we’re about at the halfway mark; i’m 6 months in and it’s amazing to me that i can see anything new or find new ways to see the things i’ve seen a hundred times. this job has been an incredible exercise in learning to look harder. i’m rather happy with my latest effort on that project.

-Exodus 31:1-5

tomorrow marks one year of my involvement with I Am Second and the first person i shot for the campaign was Jason Castro. i remember being pretty nervous.

i had pitched the idea of shooting production stills to use as additional content on iamsecond.com, but the folks at E3 knew they would need studio portraits for the print & outdoor efforts, so they asked me to try my hand at those as well. at the time, studio photography wasn’t something that i had a ton of experience with – which was the root cause of 97% of my nervousness.

here’s that first image:

so much about the campaign was still in a process of discovery when we shot Jason & as much as we liked this image, it was a unanimous belief that it wasn’t the right feel for the campaign. so, twenty days later, i did a full day test which led us to the current high contrast look that has become a staple of all the I Am Second photography.

i’m actually floored that it has only been one year since I Am Second started for me. i’ve grown so much, personally and professionally, since i came on board with I Am Second, that it feels like a lot more time has passed since it all began. looking forward, i’m incredibly excited about all the stories still to be told.

i destinctly remember almost every detail from the day. it felt like trial by fire, but looking back, i realize that there was a heavy dose of divine grace given to me. just as God gave the plans for the tabernacle to Moses on Mt. Ararat & then prepared Bezalel & Oholiab, he worked in the heart of Norm, provided the direction with E3, and gifted craftsmen like Sam, Scott & me -  it’s incredibly humbling to realize that not only are you part of the plans, you were called by name and given grace for just such an occassion.

the best thing about shooting Jason is that it lead us, creatively, to refine our thinking about how photography could, and should, be used. and, for my part, the effort has lead to results i’m incredibly proud of.

a print ad that ran on the back cover of D Magazine’s April 2009 issue.

Local, Fresh, Delecious

Agency: Marchman Associates

Creative: Sam Ditore, Scott Mayo, Kevin Shivers & Taryn Owen

the creative is a derivative of the TV concept & i think it all turned out brilliantly. Kevin did an amazing job of creating a universe that blends urban youthfulness with the pastoral freshness that has been a staple of the Borden brand for decades; props to you my friend. and, i’m quite happy with the way Taryn was able to marry the photography with the world Kevin created.

if they ever put the TV spots online, I’ll make sure to post a link. i think the TV creative was next level cool.

i shot alongside the commercial production & would get to spend time with Selena in little burst between their setups. it was definitely a challenging way to work because just about the time she and I would find our rhythm, they would take her off my set & into the sound stage. but, this way of working did afford me the opportunity to shoot lots of production stills, which i love doing.

here are a few of those:

Salena rocks out to Forever The Sickest Kids.

(clockwise from top left) PM, Andi Budman & her coffee, Kevin, Sam & the storyboards, production meeting

the spots were shot on the Red One; the final spot has a mix of virtual & physical set pieces.

the initial concept sketch and the lighting scheme used to bring it to life; definitely my favorite shot in the spot.

workers put the finishing touches on the pool area at Royal Oaks, which opened memorial day weekend.

as i mentioned when i last wrote, which seems like eons ago, i’ve been hard at work finalizing the redesign of my website in-between various shooting assignments. i’m happy to report that my good friend and Dallas most talented interactive marketer has begun the blah, blah that is required to turn photoshop files into web wonderment. and i’m really excited. but i also know that the road ahead will be messy, full of unexpected disasters creative challenges and will probably take me right up to the wire (i have a loose & self imposed late summer, like, late August, early September) goal.

fingers crossed.

i should be blogging more. i have a ton of new work to show, recently launched two personal projects and have written an article for COLLIDE that should be going to print soon. so check back soon & often.

two hours in and we hadn’t fired a single shot; the rain was getting close and our schedule was being held up by something beyond our control in the hanger we were supposed to shoot in.

instead of panicking, i found something to inspire me; an offhanded comment by my client was just enough.

our first shot was supposed to be something that wouldn’t have turned out as good as the third image below – which ended up being our first shot of the day. that’s the beauty of the unexpected, it forces you to stretch beyond your plans and get out of your comfort zone.

three images i submitted as potential covers.

typically i shoot more lifestyle stuff, like the first image (above). my sensibilities tend to drive me toward compositions that don’t feel produced, which isn’t to say i don’t have to work at getting them. i think it’s a texture thing, more than anything else for me. i want the image to feel a little less polished. because we were dealing with gray skies and flat light, i knew we would have to amp up the production required, but my assistant & i worked to make sure that everything felt motivated by something real.

i think we achieved that goal & last i heard it was the front runner for the cover of an article about Monarch Air, my client.

there are a few more images after the jump.

flight students | the super sexy Cessna 400

talking through an issue with a maintenance client | flight instruction

our pilot & our plane

and i just thought i’d get a great Heika article about Brett Hull’s creativity or some clever spin on the Sean Avery debacle.

i have a few thoughts about the ads, but i’ll keep those to myself. i think the photography looks good & i’m glad to see a web property like I Am Second being advertised online. it makes a lot of sense. i wonder if getting served three ads on a single article is strategy or coincidence?

since June, I’ve been working with some really incredible people on a project that i’m very proud to be a part of. i’ve blogged about it several times, but haven’t had the liberty of actually disclosing it’s official name. but, seeing as the billboards are up and the television spots are airing, it is a secret no more. take a few minutes and check out iamsecond.com.

brian welch, formerly of Korn

we have another shoot on Friday that should be interesting.

these are a few of Blake’s behind the scenes images.

blake shares his story.

more photos after the jump.

less is more.

he is second.

we should be posting one of the short films on the DME blog in the next day or two.

tie them as symbols on your hands

interesting hands have become a theme I’ve been exploring during the project -

we’ve seen wise hands and generous hands, hands adorned with super bowl rings and burn scars; young, uncalloused hands and the hands of war heroes; hands that have hurt and hands that have healed; there are such incredible stories written in the hands of men.

all i can say is it has been beyond inspiring to sit and listen to the stories of what these hands have done and who they have touched. i can’t wait to share the full project with you in a couple months.

i headed to DFW airport at 6am on Wednesday; it was already raining. the night before, i’d promised my son i would be home in time to give him a kiss. no problem, right? i mean, my flight was supposed to touch down in DFW at 10:05.

little did i know, i was headed toward the worst travel day in history. check out the full story in my latest travel diary.

here are a few selects from the houston trip i took a couple weeks ago; you can see a broader selection by clicking here.