Sometimes the best ideas...

I've mentioned this before. For me, the best shoots come about when the person who's modeling becomes a collaborator and co-creator.

Over the July 4th holiday weekend I had the privilege of working with Chad Glenn. Not only is he easy on the eyes, but he's a compelling person as well -- intelligent and creative in every respect.

I had an extensive list of possible shoots, props and locations all lined up. The weekend's agenda was crowded to say the least. And the fact that Chad's boss had unexpectedly called him in to work Sunday evening only made it tighter. He had to leave a half day early in order to drive a hundred fifty miles to be there on time. He's a better person than I am. Even with just a day and half of shooting, moments after he left Sunday afternoon I collapsed in a heap from the effort we'd put in.

Now one thing that was not on the list was a cowboy shoot. But Chad had come equipped with boots, de rigeur torn jeans (though I wonder if cowboys really wear Dolce & Gabanna), cowboy hat and a scruffy beard. He said he'd always wanted to add a cowboy look to his portfolio. How could I say no?

Now trust me when I say there is absolutely nothing western looking about Key West. So early Saturday morning I was scratching my head wondering how the heck I was going to give him the look he wanted. Since we wanted an unshaven "out on the range" look, it was the first thing we did Saturday morning. I found a stucco corner of the house that looked like it could plausibly be somewhere out West -- though the palm trees reflected in the windows require a certain suspension of belief. Threw in a shovel, broom and leaves on the deck and figured it'd be a throwaway.

When we looked at the outtakes Saturday evening predictably we were both disappointed. Chad looked great but the setting just didn't make the grade. I was pretty sure I'd wind up tossing the whole set on the cutting room floor. Then he said something "what if you make them look aged?"

Brilliant. Of course, do a modern day take off on a daguerreotype.

To create the "look" each photo took me between 30 and 45 minutes to edit so my selection process was even more cutthroat that usual. But as far as I'm concerned Chad came up with the perfect solution.