Melissa McCarthy is an inspiration to women and aspiring female comedians and actors. Her work is simultaneously hilarious and touching and SYNC client and longtime friend Jim Wright has captured her energy and spirit perfectly for AARP magazine. Photographed together with her Mother Sandy, Jim’s images and the corresponding article by David Hochman will hit you right in the feels. Read more about how Jim pulled off this shoot below!
Q&A with Jim Wright!
What is your favorite piece of gear and/or grip for cover shoots/editorials?
Elinchrom Octas, Elinchrom Rotolux Deep, Photek Medium Umbrellas, Profo Packs and Heads.
I often go to Sync for big and smaller jobs because the gear is always functional, clean and reliable.
Were there any challenges you encountered on set?
Time. With celebrities it is always a challenge. But, on this particular day Melissa was also doing the “Ellen Show” so we had limited amount of time to get all of the desired setups. Another big challenge is being able to navigate a large crew of of 25-30 people consisting of camera assistants, art department, glam squad, publicists, managers, editors and bts crew and getting them to focus on the job at hand. Taking in everyone’s input while still getting the images that I want as a photographer.
Your backdrops are always perfect! Is that something that you decide well in advance? What do you take into account when choosing colors/textures?
I always try to choose backdrops that go with the theme or context of the shoot. For this shoot we were going for a very poetic, romantic feel; almost painterly. Jesse Nemeth,my “go to set designer”, custom made the canvas backdrops for the shoot which I think really set the tone. Great job Jesse!
Best, Jim
