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The 2006 'Best Of' Series
For the second annual Best Of issue of the ASMP Bulletin, we selected twenty projects from a field of nearly sixty candidates. It was a tough decision and we thank all those who submitted their work. We hope you will enjoy reading about the projects featured in print and here on the ASMP Web site.
Employee portraits for Burger King corporate exhibit and employee holiday gifts
A last-minute assignment to make portraits of Burger King’s corporate employees for Christmas presents steamrolled into a source of inspiration for Deborah Gray Mitchell. After the client spotted images of one very animated employee, she requested two shots of everyone — one normal and one fun. The project is ongoing, and new employees try to outdo previous portraits. For Mitchell, the assignment has led to plenty of new work. And thanks to her client’s idea, Mitchell is considering marketing the employee portrait concept to other clients.
Portrait of Deborah Gray Mitchell Photo © by Rey Moreno
All other images in this article © Deborah Gray Mitchell
ASMP: How long have you been in business?
DGM: 25 years.
ASMP: How long have you been an ASMP member?
DGM: Since 1987.
ASMP: What are your photographic specialties?
DGM: People and portraits, performance and fine art.
S&S Restaurant, Miami, Fla. The S&S is a Miami landmark. "Jump Shot" Kenny Lane, a longshoreman, is the man in the hat on the left. I tried for years to get Kenny to sit for a portrait. Finally I shot these with the camera on the counter!
ASMP: Please summarize the equipment used in this work.
DGM: I use a Canon 20D with a Canon 70-200 f2.8 and a 24-70 f2.8 lens. The lighting is a very basic three-light setup with white seamless or my studio cyc and several sheets of foam core.
ASMP: Please describe how this job came to you and how it differs from other aspects of your business.
DGM: My longtime studio partner passed this job to me because of his other job commitments. I’ve never promoted family portraits, but I needed the work at the time and accepted the project. I saw it as a chance to create some fun photos.
“Cool”ologist Sarah
ASMP: Was this assignment commissioned by someone who hires photographers on a regular basis? If not, were there any particularly surprising issues that needed to be resolved?
DGM: The project was shot for the Chief Concept Officer and Senior Vice President of Burger King Corporation. She approached their Communications Department, who contacted my studio mate, who passed it to me. The only issue was that the shoots had to wait until after Christmas due to my schedule. She resolved that by giving each employee an empty frame and my Web site address.
Patti and Barbara are sisters who worked together at Jimmy's, a diner in North Miami, Fla. Barbara, the blonde, has since retired.
ASMP: Please tell us about the usage terms agreed upon for these images.
DGM: The usage is for corporate display, personal use by the employees and a PowerPoint presentation used by my client.
ASMP: Was exclusivity or restrictions of use discussed and if so, how was this addressed?
DGM: The client did not ask for exclusivity or restrictions, and I own the images. I use some on my web site and for self-promotion, but out of courtesy to my “models,” I would only license them to someone else with permission and then only for usages approved by them.
Stephanie lets down her hair, but not without protest.
ASMP: What was your biggest challenge at the beginning of the job, and how did you deal with this?
DGM: Children and pets. I have this silly little yellow plastic “camera” with a big orange happy face in place of a lens. Push one button and it sings “Smile.” Push another and it plays lively music that soon drives me bonkers, but it works for children.
Ben’s new little pastry chef
One family arrived with two little boys and a baby, and the eldest boy wanted no part of the shoot. No matter what the parents said to him, he stood apart with his arms crossed and his lower lip sticking out with a big scowl on his face. I pulled out the silly yellow camera and his eyes lit up. I handed it to him and he pretended to photograph his family. His mom said, “He likes to take pictures; he just doesn’t like be in them.” I offered to let him shoot a few with my camera, and he quickly hopped on my apple box and was thrilled to see “his” photos. He returned to the set beaming. It was an incredible transformation!
Adam’s little Burger Queen
ASMP: Please describe how the work changed as the assignment progressed.
DGM: The assignment began as casual family and individual portraits for each employee’s holiday gift and an enlargement for the department’s long hallway. Midway through the first day of shooting, one employee was so animated that when my client saw his photos on the back of my camera, she asked for two shots of everyone for the wall — one normal and one fun. Thus began my quest to get them outside the “box” or “Outside the Cubicle,” as I’ve titled the series.
Dawn
ASMP: What has been your best or most convincing strategy for coaxing optimum response from your subjects?
DGM: The fine art of “please” and a great deal of flattery! I don’t have preconceived ideas for these shoots, relying instead on spontaneous creativity and input from my subjects. As a southerner with a definite drawl, I always spend time talking with my subjects before and during shoots. I ask them about their lives and what else they’ve done, and also about the specific Burger King product lines they work on. It helps me come up with suggestions. The conversation helps them to relax so they forget the camera and have fun. Some are easy and willing; others take more time.
Chef Guilly, who changed the entire project with this photo.
ASMP: Were the models allowed to see their portraits (or portraits of other subjects) while on set? If so, what did this add to the shoot?
DGM: I quickly show them the exposures on the back of the camera to make sure they see something they like. I don’t usually share anyone else’s photos on shoot days — except with the boss, of course, that first day. However, because this project is on-going, the new hires have seen the “wall of fame” and try to top their fellow employee’s photos.
Annabelle
I’ve got one gal now who is trying to be the art director and wants to recreate her bit part in the Miami Vice movie. She keeps postponing her session to line up others she wants in the shot. Recreating someone else’s vision is not what this job is about, and I’ve told her that she’s putting too much into it. I’m not quite sure how to handle this, but if she keeps postponing her shoot, maybe she’ll postpone herself out of a job and I won’t have to deal with it! [Late update: In fact, that's what happened. She decided to go back to school.]
Kimona, lounge singer.
ASMP: Please describe the workflow process involved in shooting and delivering the images. Is there any part of this process you’d change in hindsight?
DGM: I shoot camera raw and process the images into a standard Web gallery for the employees to select their images and personal orders. I process their selections in Photoshop CS, retouch them and burn a disc to take to my local lab for printing on glossy Fuji Crystal Archive paper. I added a thin black line around the images to give them that old “full frame” print look which now I wish I’d left off.
ASMP: Has this assignment given you any new insights to apply to your career?
DGM: I am now more willing to photograph families, and I’ve learned a great deal about working with children and pets.
Kathy and her four boys.
ASMP: Has it brought you other new projects or do you foresee this happening in the future?
DGM: Denny has had me back to shoot Burger King’s advisory teams, and I’m getting quite a few calls from Burger King employees in other departments. Denny has treated some of her close friends and family to sessions with me also. I’m considering marketing the concept to some of my other clients and area corporations.
Got milk?
Quote from my client:
“There isn’t a day that goes by without someone wandering down the hallway to our offices and commenting on Deborah’s wonderful pictures of my fabulous team. It started as last-minute Christmas gifts and has become a rite of passage. New employees, new spouses and growing families all get updated. We’ve even had a few poignant moments on departures and divorces — all part of life. I love the way it showcases the diversity and uniqueness of the people I have the privilege of leading. Every one comes back from their session with Deborah talking about how much fun they’ve had, and each new addition tries to top the last for creativity. It’s becoming a very high bar to hurdle!”
Denny Post
Chief Concept Officer and Senior Vice-President
Burger King Corporation
Florida Grand Opera's Young Artist Studio, a photo illustration for Young Artists' Showcase and Fundraiser invitation.