Assignment: Madison Madison- Kaleem Caire
My plan for this portrait was to shoot it outside, in high reeds and snow to convey an idea of wilderness and frontier- endless possibilities. Kaleem Caire, the subject of the story, is starting a new private school in Madison, Wisconsin (he is also the president of the Greater Madison Urban League) and I thought this would be a good express that idea, considering there is not yet a location for the new school. Unfortunately, the day of the shoot happened to be the coldest day of the year, with a high of 9 degrees, so with the consideration of the flash tubes, my fingers and the risk of frost bite, we had to keep it indoors. Fortunately the Urban League shares a building with a public library, so I settled with a more literal cue for education and the endless possibilities of learning- and that’s what they went with. I also tried a couple other ideas. Below is how it ran in the magazine and a few others I liked.
