COWBOYS AND COWGIRLS

No, not cowboys like with horses and cows and ropes and stuff.

The Outsider. The “goes his/her own way” person. The one that doesn’t follow all the rules, but just gets the job done.

Think Elon Musk.
Think Richard Branson.
Think Martha Stewart.

Icons. Entrepreneurs. Doing things their way.

We have heard the term, “He’s a cowboy out there on his own…” and that is EXACTLY what the name of this article is about the person you are going to shoot.

“A Cowboy Rides Alone – Finding His/Her Own Way on the Range of New Opportunities”

I have no idea what that range of “new opportunities” is.

You will have to tell us when you present your image.

Specs:

Your “Cowboy / Cowgirl” is one person who is a bit on the fringe. They exude confidence, and they are breaking new paths. They are not ‘generally loved’ but have made some tough decisions that not everyone agrees with.

Who is that in your life?
How can we depict that?
What are some visual allegories for this portrait?
Can we use props or location or both to re-enforce this message?
How?
Get started now collecting ideas.

Who are some contemporary ‘cowboys’ we know?

Steven Spielberg when he was starting out? Perhaps.
Chris Guillebeau?
Madonna?
Jennifer Lopez?
Marissa Mayer?
Gordon Ramsey?
Simon Cowell?

Now we have to think more locally… and of course, with some fiction introduced because we don’t really have much of an opportunity to hang with Richard Branson or Madonna…

This article is a very positive spin on this person, it is not a hit piece.

Vertical, color, dramatic and we know at this point that the image will sit on the right side of the spread.

(Knowing that means we can control the items and the pose inside our frame to force the reader back to the other page for the text. Generally that means not having the person look toward the right, but instead look back to the facing page. This is NOT a hard and fast rule, of course, but it is something to think about… can you do something to relate to the page of type that begins on the left side?

Please no type or headlines on the image… now make it rock!!!