WHEN YOU HAVE NO PLAN
By Adam Docker
Some of the best photographs I've taken have begun with almost no information at all.
This shoot was one of them.
I had been commissioned to photograph former professional tennis player Anna Chakvetadze. The brief seemed straightforward enough. We were due to meet at Claridge's in London for a portrait session.
Then, the afternoon before the shoot, everything changed.
The location became Cliveden House in Berkshire.
That was all I was told.
The producer, an old friend of mine, was handling everything else. My van was packed with equipment, ready for almost any eventuality. Plenty of lights, flashes, stands, soft boxes and reflectors. Years of experience have taught me that if you don't know what's waiting for you, it's better to be over-prepared than be caught out.
When I arrived, nobody was there.
I spent nearly an hour sitting in reception before Anna and the producer finally appeared, both having been delayed by traffic. I still had no idea what kind of portraits they wanted or where we would be shooting.
Anna arrived wearing a beautiful white Lacoste tennis dress and matching trainers. Elegant, understated and effortlessly classic.
She suggested using the indoor tennis court.
Fortunately, it was empty.
The moment I walked inside I knew we'd found something special.
The old scoreboard, the painted walls, the green timber, the furniture, the colours and the magnificent glass roof all felt beautifully preserved. It had the character that only genuine places possess. Nothing felt manufactured.
The afternoon sun poured through the huge skylights, filling the court with soft, directional light.
It was also incredibly hot and the court had become something of a sauna.
Between shooting, we'd retreat back to reception while I transferred images onto my laptop. It gave the cameras a chance to cool down, gave Anna a break from the heat, and perhaps most importantly, allowed us to look through the photographs together.
I've always found that sharing images during a portrait session changes the dynamic.
People begin to relax when they see themselves photographed well. Confidence grows. New ideas appear naturally. The subject becomes part of the creative process rather than someone simply standing in front of the camera.
Anna was wonderfully natural in front of the lens, although initially quite shy and visibly anxious. Like many people, despite years in the public eye, she needed reassurance. As the afternoon went on, you could see her confidence growing with every setup.
Every corner of that court seemed to offer another photograph. The architecture, the soft sunlight and Anna's natural elegance worked together perfectly. It became one of those rare shoots where inspiration simply keeps presenting itself.
Looking back, I'm proud of what we created.
Especially because there was no real plan.
Oddly enough, this isn't unusual. Throughout my career, some of the strongest work has come from exactly these situations. When expectations disappear, you're forced to observe more carefully, trust your instincts and react to what's in front of you rather than trying to force an idea that exists only in your head. Sometimes all you need is the right location, the right person, and the confidence to let the day reveal itself.
For this shoot I used my Fujifilm GFX100S medium format camera with the GF 50mm lens, lighting the portraits with a Godox AD600 and a Godox AD200.
