'A somewhat older photo, which I shot for a bank about four years ago and which symbolizes the bank's service. The concept of the man, butler, and boat was developed by an advertising agency, and then I was asked to execute it and give it my own in-ter-pre-ta-tion.
It was difficult to find a boat that was low enough while also conveying a sense of wealth. This boat is about eighty years old and nearly twenty meters long. If it had been a modern boat of this length, you would have been two meters above the water’s surface. That does not work: the distance between the models would be too great, jeopardizing the interaction between them. Finding a suitable location was also difficult. You do not want the horizon in the frame, but you do want the sea. The sky also had to look threatening, because with a clear blue sky and a calm sea, the man in the water would look as though he were enjoying a lovely swim, and that was not the intention. That Scottish sky makes the photo. It fits perfectly and tells the story very well: someone adds a little warm water, making the water a bit more pleasant to swim in—that symbolizes the service.
I won the advertising photography award in Belgium with this photo in 2002. It later appeared in the creative-industry magazine Lürzer’s Archive —which was a special honor—and the photo attracted enormous international interest, especially among art directors.
No, the photo was hardly Photoshopped. Well, the sky was adjusted slightly; it was photographed at a later time. The steam was also enhanced a little. I also retouched a few distracting lines from the boat, such as the rigging that actually belongs on it. But removing it creates a more stylized effect. Oh, just little things that make a photographer's life a little easier.'
- Name: Boudewijn Smit (1957)
- Place of residence: Amsterdam
- Info: www.boudewijn-smit.nl
