President and Mrs. Reagan, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip at Presentation of the Colors, Santa Barbara, CA.
My signature “storytelling with a camera” has been around longer than I realized. It shows up in a subtle way in this photograph made in the 1980’s. President Reagan’s 100th birthday is upon us, reminding me of this assignment for People magazine.
“Hitting the Mark” is a term from the film and television industry used when actors walk into a scene or move about in the scene. A mark was placed on the ground indicating the spot the actor was to stop so they stayed in focus for the camera. Since many scenes are shot tighter than waist level, these marks are never seen by the viewer. Even the most powerful world leaders are subject to the constraints of tv, as seen by the “marks” on the red carpet for the Queen and President and on the floor for the Prince and First Lady.
Reagan and the Queen clearly hit their marks. I’m guessing their spouses wanted to be “just a bit closer” to the front line, thus both of them overstepped theirs.
Queen Elizabeth and the Prince, traveling aboard the Royal Yacht, toured the west coast beginning south of the border in Mexico, stopping at several CA cities, ending in Canada. Air Force One taxied into a hanger at the Santa Barbara Airport where the entourage deplaned, walked to the end of the red carpet for the “Official” photo-op welcome to the U.S.
The experience gained from 20+ years as a Contributing Photographer to People and the other Time-Life magazines serves my clients well today. I’m able to be in the right places at the right times to capture their storytelling moments.
