Pat Quinn Smiles
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
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| Kodak Plus-X |
In the 80s when
business magazines were at their apogee the word executive was a most positive
description of a man (few women in this in Vancouver at the time). We wanted powerful
businessmen who were incisive. In some way we also transferred this idea to
politicians.
We photographers then
used techniques to make these hallowed men look more powerful. One technique
was to use dramatic lighting and the other was to shoot up and have our subject
looking down at the camera from “up there”.
By the nineties
business magazines were hurting and politicians seemed to be involved in more
scandals. At that point we photographers tried to make our subjects less
powerful and more honest. My mantra when taking portraits of businessmen and
politicians became one of taking a picture, looking at it and asking myself, “Would
I buy a used car from him?”
In 1992 I photographed
Pat Quinn for the Georgia Straight. The man that faced my camera was large,
intimidating, serious and not in the least self-conscious about looking straight at
me and probably thinking, “Let’s get this over with, I have better things to do
with my time.”
But I pressed on and
actually took 24 exposures with two different kinds of b+w film. My usual for
such a session would have been 10 exposures.
I took one roll of
Quinn smoking his cigar in which the necessary technique to show smoke is to
have an additional light (a back light). Then I took shots without the cigar.
The man faced my
camera and I was using a 140mm lens on my Mamiya RB-67. This lens had me about
three feet away. I raised the camera on its tripod and pointed it down at Quinn
forcing him to look at me. This by the 90s made business men and politicians
look less powerful in a down to size sort of way.
This was my dialogue
with Quinn as I remember:
Me: Mr. Quinn you don’t
smile.
Quinn: I don’t.
Me: I used to smoke
until recently Montecristo Claros and I notice you like Romeo y Julietas.
At that point he
smiled for me.
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| Kodak Technical Pan |
