In 1996, I photographed the U.S. Olympic team—naked. It was controversial then. It’s not anymore. But I ended up on the Today Show, Good Morning America, and all sorts of news channels, with commentators and pundits constantly telling me how bold it was. Some people loved it, others were offended. That was fine with me, because it meant someone actually saw the pictures.
At the time, Gail Devers was the fastest woman in the world. She overcame Graves’ disease to become one of the most decorated female athletes of all time. I traveled to Los Angeles to photograph her and used a studio located in a hangar at the Santa Monica Airport.
She made it clear that she wasn’t going to be completely nude, so you have to be creative. I also wanted to shoot some bare body parts. I’m a genius, I wanted to shoot her legs. They’re the engine, right? So I took this shot. Nice enough.
We were running out of time and starting to pack up. I was pleased with the photo. But then I asked, “Can you think of any other physical traits that would make you successful as a sprinter?” She said, “Oh, I’m pretty strong.” And she did.
We took a couple of v-flats, put a black one behind her, and filled in the cloudy daylight with some reflected light from another large whiteboard, right on the tarmac outside the hangar. Shot it in about five minutes. It won first prize in the Portrait category at World Press Awards that year.
You never know. Always ask questions, otherwise the flight home could be long.
Further….
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