Democracy

There are times when it seems like the heavens smile on you. This picture is one of those times.

I was again lucky enough to be asked to do the publicty shots for Eclipse Theatre. It's for Romulus Linney's Democracy. A comedy set in the late 1880's, I was sort of dreading this shoot. I wanted to do something that looked like it belonged on my grandmother's wall and when I described my idea to Nat, he seemed reserved in his enthusiasm. I think it had less to do with my idea for the picture and more because I said that it would take some time to get it right. Because everyone is very busy, these shoots are always done on a tight schedule. So, Nat said, "We'll see."

The shoot was set for the plant conservatory place in Lincoln Park. I'd only been there once before, and to be honest I preferred to shoot outside. But it was blessed cold on Sunday morning. We arrived at the conservatory just as it opened and the security person told us we could shoot as long as we didn't block traffic or use any props.

We tried several different things, but they all came out looking flat. The conservatory was filling and getting any kind of shot was becoming increasingly difficult. That's when I saw a patch of light. I pointed to it and Rebecca found it. With almost no coaching Jon and Rebecca found the pose and I clicked. It took less than a minute. With the exception of removing a little sign, this is pretty much how the shot came out of the camera. I couldn't be more pleased. It's exactly what I wanted.