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As a freelance photographer, I was contacted by The New York Times recently to shoot portraits of the actor Matthew McConaughey for a profile earlier this month that would focus on his new memoir. It was an exciting assignment, of course, but it came with an extra challenge. Because of the pandemic, I would have to photograph him remotely, from my home in New Jersey.
This meant that I wouldn’t be able to spend time with him in person beforehand, as I usually do with a subject, to develop a comfort level and create a more relaxed mood. The entire nature of our communication would be different. I would have limited time for the session, with little control over the physical environment or lighting. But I did have one thing going for me: his kids.
Out of necessity since the coronavirus outbreak began, I have conducted several remote portrait sessions of subjects with the help of their children, guiding them to shoot their parents. I’ve found that this can create an element of intimacy that compensates for my absence. The dynamic is different than having a spouse or partner take the shots. It’s not every day that a parent has a portrait session with their child, and there’s something about hearing instructions in your child’s voice.
Mr. McConaughey was game, and so were Levi, 12, and his younger sister, Vida, 10. In a brief conversation with them before the shoot, I explained to Mr. McConaughey what I had in mind and what I needed. He totally understood and then handed me off to his children, and I walked them through the process. That was it in terms of planning. The rest had to be done on the fly, with all of us on FaceTime.
They used an iPhone. Without getting too detailed about technical aspects, I’ll say that I needed both Levi and Vida to work in tandem so that I could see exactly what they were seeing of their dad and what they were shooting as it was being shot. We started with their giving me a quick tour of their waterfront property and describing what was around them — my abbreviated version of location scouting.
The first few minutes of the shoot were a little unnerving because a celebrity was involved, and the internet connection wasn’t crystal clear. But I had them take me to certain places and then we started snapping. Here, by the seat cushions. Outside, by a small pond. Under an archway. Lying in the grass. Standing in the water. It’s like boxing: Stick and move. At each spot, I talked them through their spacing in relation to their dad, and since they were shorter than I am, I often had them raise the camera so it would be more at the level of my visual standpoint.
I also relayed through Levi and Vida how I wanted their dad to position himself, where he should look and shift his body. Mr. McConaughey was down to earth and open to anything, and he enjoyed having his kids involved. All the while, I was aware of the time. You work on one good moment and just try to get as many as you can.
The internet connection kept breaking up occasionally. But Levi and Vida were sweet, sincere and excited to help. They shared the camera, taking turns snapping. As a father myself, I was touched by the way they were with each other. Because they’re children, I knew I needed to be more patient, so if they wanted to try something, we would, and then I would gently get us back on track. After about 40 minutes of shooting, we were done.
When I look at the pictures now, they feel like an extension of myself. I feel like the authorship is there. My sensibilities as a photographer are that I tend to get physically close. I often seek to capture a sense of longing, though I want to raise questions, not answer them. And here, mixed in with my influence is this familial sensibility. You can see something different in Mr. McConaughey’s eye contact. The images amplify that emotional connection.
Beyond all the obstacles of shooting remotely, subjects have a different gaze when their children do the shooting. It’s warmer and more open. These photos felt similarly tender in that way. I hope Levi and Vida like them as much as I do.
October 29, 2020 at 04:00PM
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Smile, Dad: In a Photo Session With Matthew McConaughey, His Kids Did the Shooting - The New York Times
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