Photographing a man like Steve Wynn is no easy task. When Forbes magazine asked me do a cover shoot of the Vegas mogul back in 2012 I remembered back to my first encounter with Steve Wynn when he allowed me to shoot a total three frames. I was nervous, to say the least, and hopeful that this time the man would allow me to shoot a few more than three images. To add to the stress Forbes also wanted a second shot from a different location to be used in the inside spread. With the help of the Wynn marketing/PR team we scouted two locations in close proximity to each where at one I could set up a little studio and at the other do an atmospheric shot. On the day of the shoot I, along with my assistants, arrived several hours before the shoot and set up at each location and did some test shots. Then we waited. There was absolutely no way to know how this shoot would go until the moment Steve Wynn walked onto the set. If his prior meeting had gone all wrong and he was in a bad mood he would either be impatient with me or not show up at all. As the minutes ticked by we all nervously waited until finally it was announced that he was on his way. Upon his arrival I stepped forward and introduced myself and guided him to our little studio set-up. He was polite and in good spirits and we talked about his famous friends like Andy Warhol, whom he mimicked during the shoot. I shot as many frames as I could offering subtle direction but also trying to keep him animated and entertained. After a few minutes we then headed over to the other location where we quickly did a few frames with him in front of a big golden dragon. When it seemed that the magic was fading and not much more could be done I thanked him for his time and patience and off he went. The shoot lasted a total of 21 minutes and I managed to shoot 111 frames. A big sigh of relief could be felt by all as he and his entourage disappeared into the hotel.
