Illuminating Portrait Photography: Photographing Walmart Stores Inc. CFO in a Captivating Blue Light

Photography is a medium that transcends time and space, allowing us to capture the essence of individuals, their stories, and their achievements.

In a recent editorial photoshoot for Barron’s magazine, the spotlight was on Walmart’s CFO, John David Rainey, a key player in one of the world’s largest retail giants. I was asked to create several environmental portraits with the hopes of landing one on the cover of the magazine.

The chosen location for the photoshoot was a Walmart Supercenter just across the street from the home office. After studying past covers for the magazine, I realized the store most likely wouldn’t offer a cover worthy spot for a background so I decided to add drama with the lighting.

Blue was the chosen color scheme for this photoshoot since it aligned with Walmart’s corporate branding. Additionally, the cool blue hues contrasted beautifully with the raw texture of the concrete wall, adding depth and intrigue to the images.

Lights and a blue gel were positioned strategically to cast a uniform blue wash over half the scene while maintaining a soft and flattering light on the subject. The balance between the blue light and the subject was finely tuned to control where the light spilled into the scene.

The CFO’s posture was carefully directed to convey confidence, approachability, and comfort while maintaining poses that were natural. I’ve always found it important to work through poses to find something familiar rather than tell people how to stand. Having a portrait taken in a busy space can make someone feel very uncomfortable and exposed, and adding a bit of familiarity can help the subject make a connection to the camera and this shows in the final images.

Barron’s Magazine ended up going with a different story for the cover and a more traditional image to accompany the article about John David Rainey. Such is life, but I’ve learned to take the safety shot and then push boundaries.

If anything, I ended up with new portraits for my portfolio– and I also ended up with an image on the cover to accompany a story about drones. I’ll make a blog post about the cover soon.