The big blog

Celebrity photoshoots are not for the faint of heart. The high pressure and high stakes—not to mention the larger-than-life egos—can make even the bravest photographer weep like a small child.

Which is why we turned to Richard Ustinich for a recent session with someone who, if not an actual celebrity, then at least presented some similar challenges. You see, Richard is as cool as the proverbial cucumber, no matter who or what he’s shooting. And he has decades of experience putting every kind of subject at ease. Most important, at least in this case, Richard has a knack for breaking through even the most expressionless and protective of personas, to reveal the essence of the person beneath.

And just whose essence did we need Richard’s help in capturing? None other than the physical embodiment, in miniature, of our very own agency. We call him “Mr. Big,” for obvious and obviously ironic reasons. Pictured above, he’s not strictly a celebrity, of course, but you can see that his taciturn countenance is every bit as “plastic” and unrevealing as that of the most guarded of paparazzi targets. Yet somehow, refracted through the magic of Richard’s lens, Mr. Big’s personality shines through. The shoot was such a success that Mr. Big will be featured in our soon-to-be-printed new capabilities brochure. We also got some great pix of a few of Mr. Big’s same-scaled associates, one of which now graces our masthead above.

So, we’d once again like to say thanks to Richard for his fine work, this time publicly. And while we have your attention, we’d also like to direct you to Richard’s website, where you can see an online version of his very impressive portfolio. If you have an important subject to shoot, animate or inanimate, flesh or polymer, or anywhere in between, Richard is your guy. Click here to visit Richard Ustinich’s website.