Apple posted this simple, striking image of Steve Jobs on their homepage and I was curious to know who made the portrait. Turns out to be Albert Watson who was hired a few years ago by Fortune Magazine to photograph Jobs along with a number of other business leaders. Watson used a 4x5 view camera and was lucky enough to be given nearly an hour with Jobs - something that is unheard of these days. You're lucky to get 5 minutes with most movers and shakers in business, entertainment and political circles.
Here is what Watson had to say about his session with Jobs.
“I had wanted to do the shot in a minimalistic way because I knew that was going to suit him very well. Jobs said, ‘What do you want me to do?’ I said I would like 95 percent, almost 100 percent of eye contact with the camera, and I said, ‘Think about the next project you have on the table,’ and I asked him also to think about instances where people have challenged him.
“If you look at that shot, you can see the intensity. It was my intention that by looking at him, that you knew this guy was smart,” Watson says, adding, “I heard later that it was his favorite photograph of all time.”
