Bankers and Calendars

Community bankers in small towns are awesome and I always enjoy photographing them!  I have meant dozens and dozens of bankers in small towns with all my banking photography assignments.

There's a lesson to be learned from these approachable, friendly and customer service bankers.  On assignment recently at a small town's bank, I noticed a small calendar on the desk and the model of the month was a sexy shirtless male.  Each month was a different man, of course.  Then I noticed every female banker had the same calendar on their desk.  Joking with them they told us a local business man gives them away to customers.  He was planning on giving out the female model calendars.  Then his wife insisted he can only do that if he also hands out the male model calendars.

So, after a few laughs the banker went down the street and brought back a handful of calendars (male and female) for me, the female art director and my wife.  :)

Smiling in the Cold

As a location photographer I travel all over the world meeting and photographing wonderful people.  From small towns with a few hundred people to huge cities.  Every trip is always an adventure.  From the places I experience, to the people I meet.  I always look forward to these assignments.  The logistics of what to take, getting there, photographing amazing photographs, connecting with my subjects, and of course a ton of good stories I cherish for years.

Recently I made a trip to Nebraska for a corporate client.  We photographed in 3 small towns and the larger city, Omaha.  The assignment was photographing farmers, ranchers and community bankers.

Our goal was to take nice candids of these subjects working and also take connected portraits that are more along the line as candids.  Steer away from the polished portraits that we see so often (and I am also known for) and capture their slice of life.

Our biggest challenge was the cold and wind on this trip.  The first 3 days it was about 10 degrees and a wind chill of below 20F.  This is a bump in the road when you want to capture the life of a farmer and nobody really wants to go outside.  The above subjects only inside location of interest was their living room. Though I felt this would be too sterile of a portrait.  I felt an outside location with this couple would allow us to create a more connected portrait.  So, outside we went with a smile.

Have you ever smiled when it's 20 below zero and blowing like crazy?  A smile doesn't last long because your teeth begin to feel like they are going to fall out from being frozen.  The advantage of being so cold was the muddy cattle pins we had to drive and walk through were all frozen.  I didn't need to change to my boots.  So, off we went and drove out to the horses and photographed them feeding them.  I had the challenges of making the couple look a little warmer then it was and do this all in a few minutes.  It was bitter cold, though this scene made these subjects more down to earth, approachable and connected with the viewer than an inside portrait.  Anyone can be photographed in a living room.

Cozy Inn

The joys of being a corporate location photographer is the great food I find on my trips.  Yes, also the terrible dining experiences.

In Salina, Kansas there is a little restaurant called Cozy Inn.  Opened in 1922 as a 6 stool hamburger joint that makes these palm size hamburgers that are really good, and really bad at the same time.  Yes, it still has just 6 stools and they do have a few tables outside.

When I walk in there my friend asks me, "should I order a bag of 12 or 6 hamburgers."  We have both been there before. Thinking that we were going to be in the car for about 5 more hours, heading to our next Nebraska corporate assignment, I suggested a bag of 6 for the two of us.  Revisiting hamburgers with onions while driving a few hours later is not always the most enjoyable experience and the smell from that bag is a guarantee that we will be smelling Cozy Inn for the rest of the day, if not the entire trip.

She was a bit disappointed because they are so good, though went ahead and ordered us a bag of 6.  And I knew I'd eat more than 3 of them because they taste soooo good.  So, I also felt a little disappointment we didn't get more.  After eating 3 of them in the car, I was right that I was ready for another.  Though about an hour later we both agreed that 3 were just perfect. :)

If your passing through Salina, KS you must stop by Cozy Inn and get a bag of burgers.