They usually say 'everything for art'. I let this quote be repeated like a choppy record to convince me that this particular shoot is worth it.
It is the 4th of February and the actor Johan Rabaeus is waiting for me in his apartment on Södermalm. It has taken time to put together this puzzle of fully booked agendas. We are both very busy in our own ways. I say 'both of us' but really just mean Mr. Rabaeus. I myself have been on stand-by for more than a couple of years.
But now the day has come. Somewhat unplanned, Johan tore a hamstring during a rehearsal at Dramaten. Not fun, but now he has his leg in plaster and cannot act on stage for a while, so today there is room for a little portrait.
If, after all this time, I finally got an audience with the Molière master himself, it's just as well to aim high, so I packed the car full of camera stuff and drove from home in Sörmland.
When I start to approach his block in central Stockholm, I think that it must be the city's most pedestrian-street-dense place! And after driving around the same block about four hundred times, I replace Plan A with Plan B and park outside his gate with half the car on the sidewalk. Looking anxiously up at chutes and icicles. Then it's just a matter of putting up doors and after four turns everything is piled up outside his door. Every time I take the elevator, or the stairs, depending on what stuff is going up, I'm waiting for the ragtags down there to have a party with my car. Quickly back down to the car one last time to look for a parking space, which I find far away. Now I jog back to Rabaeus's house on icy streets, careful to flip. An invalid is enough for this shoot.
When I've caught my breath, wrapped myself in scarves and outerwear, I ring the doorbell.
ENTRÉ
There's a limp from inside (personally, I think he's exaggerating a bit, like the actor he is) but he opens the door anyway, which is a good sign. When he sees my gear and then looks up at me, I wonder if he thinks I'm going to move in permanently. Or maybe he thinks that a theater performance should be staged in the home?
I lug in 3 m of roll background paper, seventy-one tripods, light shapers, camera bags, flashes, cords, extension cords, clamps, diffusion textiles + other good-to-haves while I wonder between gritted teeth where all my photo assistants are.
During our previous contacts, I have described to Johan what I had in mind, so he lets me into his living room where I can continue rigging. The plan is to leave with at least three "finished" pictures.
As for the final result itself, I want it to feel as if it was shot in natural light. My first action, after moving all his furniture around, is to rig up a large Octabox. This round 1.75 meter light box is perfect in these contexts. Then the Elinchrom Quadran is plugged in and tested. I feed electricity to the flash even if I don't need to. There is electricity in the wall so why not? A Skyport is mounted on the camera, which is also tested. Then just invite the object itself and start directing.
Most of the time when I photograph people, we usually discuss clothes. This time I've let it go and it's just as well because Rabaeus walks out on my stage wearing dirty gray sweatpants that no normal person or photographer would accept. But this time I think it fits perfectly. I ask Johan to sit in an antique chair I dragged along plus another chair for his plastered legs.
Just as well to make the most of it I think.
When I started planning for this shoot, I saw in front of me Johan blowing up a big bubble from a piece of chewing gum. Fits his slightly his rebellious streak. But I had to search around half of Stockholm for the right chewing gum that could be multiplied and inflated. What I was looking for in terms of images was the combination of the classic portrait light that the old masters did so well, but with a screw in the subject.
The third image I saw in front of me was a discarded Rabaeus on a couch. As thrown out as only a teenager, or possibly an injured actor can do. I just moved my big Octa around and let it amplify the light from the windows. When the show was over, it was just a matter of packing up, saying hi, hi to Johan and you can see the result here. The experience together with a Johan Rabaeus in a good mood was worth all the effort.
If then the end result corresponds to the effort is up to each.
/J.
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