May 2015. Client: Harvard Business Review

Jon Kolko wrote Well Designed: How to use Empathy to Create Products People Love. As the title explains the key is to understand customer needs and feelings and reflect this in the product. (He cites Nest as a good example and for £249 their “beautiful” and “revolutionary” thermostat can be yours; Included in the price is that feeling of warmth knowing it’ll pay for itself in two years).

After Jon took part in an HBR panel discussion at the swanky Claridges Hotel I photographed him with his book. No one else in the two hundred strong audience had any visible tattoos poking out of their business casual attire, and with the large disc earrings he stands out from the crowd. I wanted to capture all of the above so I used one light placed low down to blast the back wall, thereby creating a light mist rising up behind the book and a brighter contrasted background to see right through the earlobes better. The second light coming in from the right was softened with an umbrella to bring out the arm and face but still unidirectional enough to make the shadow areas go very dark.