Operativ.Studio
Operativ.Studio
145 Spruce St,
Ottawa, ON 90017

A Private Citizen

overview

The former Prime Minister is actually a normal everyday guy. What started out as corporate headshots or upcoming events and publications, ended with some studio portraits and artistic lighting choices. We broke the cookie cutter and tried for some more casual shots of a private citizen re-entering his former pre-politics life.

Project ID

A Private Citizen

Capture Date

May 13, 2025

Gear

Hasselblad X2D | 90mm

I mean the corporate headshots turned out great too, right? The challenge with a public official, even a recently freed one, is to get past the practised poses and smizes (smile with your eyes). Utilitarian, yes, but this shot is successful, too.

Getting close to a subject means having to enter their space (unless you're shooting with he 90m on a 100MP Hasselblad) – then you can maintain your distance and still get the detail and intimacy you're shooting for. Don't get lost in his eyes like I did.

The set can be important to making the shot feel more intimate. Complementary tones from the woods and skin, matching backdrop (which I hand-painted that weekend) and pants, and lighting to balance mood and meaning. This is a former teacher, sitting here much like a teacher again.