Chess Strategy

Lately I've been experimenting with lighting, so I mapped out a complicated scenario where we projected the long shadows of an oversized chess set on a cyclorama. The assignment was a portrait of Chess YouTuber Levy Rozman for The New York Times Magazine.

Sourcing the right studio and props were more challenging than expected, but what a delight when the effect actually worked!

In the end, the magazine led with a simple tight portrait (albeit with a king and queen shoved in there!) but I’m equally proud of the hard-won accomplishments of our earlier setup.

Top Image: Behind the scenes photo by Maria Christianson.

Second Image: My favorite portrait from the day.

Bottom Image: We squeezed in one extra shot as Levy prepared to leave, and this is what ran in with the story in the Times Magazine. Special thanks to my daughter who lent us her portable chess set for the day!