Randall Gnant
President, Arizona State Senate
Phoenix AZ ~ 5:15 PM on 11/30/2000

Pamela Johnson, Associate Art Director for Governing Magazine wanted an environmental portrait of the President of the Arizona State Senate Randall Gnant (R).

We did the standard shot in the gallery over looking the Arizona State Senate, but I wanted a more relaxed shot, so I suggested going up to the roof. The clouds were nice and soft, filtering the later afternoon sun.

I set up one Dynalite in a small Chimera softbox, shot a few quick Polaroids and we made this nice image. I like the elements here, Randall looks relaxed, the brick adds some warmth to the shot, the clouds soften the sun light hitting the dome and the figure atop the capitol building, and I love the top of the pagoda looking building in the background.

Hasselblad 150mm lens
Exposure: 1/30th @ f/5.6
Film: Fuji Astia RAP 100
Photoshop: minimal.
Photo assistant: Alex Montero

I like politics and history, so I was talking a bit with Randall during the shoot. I'm a Democrat, and he's a Republican... the United States presidential election of 2000 had just happened a few weeks earlier... I said "I'm pretty much a Democrat" and with a wink and a smile he said "that's ok, everyone has the right to be wrong"... and we laughed, oh how we laughed :-)

My mom was President of the League of Women Voters in Kent, OH for a couple of years in the early 70's. I remember going to all sorts of political events, and she was such a supporter of Kennedy, McGovern, Humphrey and Udall. I remember when Nixon got impeached, we were driving and my mom said, "we have to stop and get a newspaper."