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Portrait 9-1-1
Hernan Rodriguez brings to life the different layers of a TV actor with the Tamron 90mm F2.8 mid-telephoto macro lens.
Author: Jenn Gidman
Images: Hernan Rodriguez
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Hernan Rodriguez brings to life the different layers of a TV actor with the Tamron 90mm F2.8 mid-telephoto macro lens.
Over his multi-decade career, Los Angeles photographer Hernan Rodriguez has helped to tell the story of an eclectic assembly of celebrities and athletes. Boxing machines Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson, comedians Eddie Griffin and Russell Peters, actors Danny Trejo and Mark Wahlberg, and musical powerhouses Helen Reddy, Saweetie, and the Jonas Brothers are just a sampling of the subjects who’ve posed in front of Hernan’s camera. Most recently, Hernan headed out to Venice Beach for a photo session with actor Brian Michael Smith, known for his role as Paul Strickland on the Fox drama 9-1-1: Lone Star.
Armed with the Tamron 90mm F/2.8 DI III VXD M1:1 Macro lens for his mirrorless camera system, Hernan’s goal was to create a portrait series that dove into the layers of Brian’s journey as a transgender actor (he also plays a transgender firefighter on 9-1-1) and LGBTQ advocate. “We’ve communicated back and forth for years but never actually met,” Hernan says. “I didn’t want to research too much about Brian before the shoot, other than what I already knew, because I like to start from zero when I’m working with a subject. Just put my camera down and talk with them, so I can get to know the real human underneath the public persona, and beyond what’s already out there.”
Hernan and Brian opted to shoot in the bohemian seaside neighborhood of Venice. “It has everything,” Hernan says. “It’s hippie, it’s urban, it’s beach—you’ll find the dichotomy of a $20 million home right next to a graffitied alley. There are so many photographic possibilities. I knew if we wanted a simple, clean background, we could just search for a garage door or neutral-colored wall to do a headshot against. For a grittier look, we might head to one of those alleys I mentioned. Part of the experience (and fun) is knowing what you want to shoot, then exploring to find where to do it.”
With a handful of reflectors and an auxiliary light in hand, Hernan set out to create portraits of Brian with a naturalistic feel. “I admire photographers from the ‘60s and ‘70s who shot like that, like fashion photographer Bruce Weber,” he says. “Brian approved of that approach, sent me a couple of shots he liked for inspiration, and I created my mood boards for the portrait session based off of that.”
The Tamron 90mm F2.8 Macro lens proved the perfect companion. “I knew it would be an intimate shoot about how Brian expresses himself, where we just peeled everything back and remained present,” Hernan says. “The 90mm F2.8 Macro lens allows me to create a range of portraits in those moments. If I step back 10 feet, I can achieve a nice three-quarter shot that’s sharp from head to toe, with a bit of the environment included. But if I step a little closer, due to the way the 90mm lens is designed with its point of focus, the background falls off beautifully. I love being able to compress when I need to or shoot full length if I want.”
Hernan also appreciated the mid-telephoto prime lens’s maximum F/2.8 aperture for less-than-ideal lighting situations, though he headed into the shoot with an F4 mentality. “The trend these days is to shoot wide open,” he says. “Although that can minimize some distracting details, it can also have the inadvertent effect of drawing attention to others. For instance, if you have blurred light spots in the background, they may stand out more than you wanted them to—making the background just as distracting as if you’d left it ‘busy.’ For me, shooting portraits at around F4 allows me to keep all the detail and information in my subject’s face. I don’t want one eye and the nose in focus and the other eye blurred!”
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