Last year a Picture editor from Dutch Newspaper Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant contacted me about photographing physicist Sabine Hossenfelder. She was giving an interview on her new book, Existential Physics and the paper needed photography to go with the article. Fortunately for me, she was attending a lecture at the Physics Department of Oxford University.
It was a chilly but sunny December day when we made plans to meet in the physics department later in the morning. As the publication had mentioned they wanted outside images, I arrived early to scope out some great spots around the building. Fortunately, it is close to university parks, making it simple to take pictures outside. Despite it being December, the trees weren't very green.
As I met Sabine, she briefly introduced me to the head of the department, and he graciously allowed us to take a few shots inside the building. It had a great modern feel which some winding stairs much like the scene in Harry Potter I thought. There was plenty of light and some nice wood features around and I captured some lovely editorial images of Sabine.
Whenever my clients mention quantum mechanics, my mind can’t help but wander to the Ant-Man film, Quantumania! Not the most professional association, I know. Maybe I should have consulted my client about the quantum world, but fortunately, we were here for something I do understand well: photography.
She was a natural in front of the camera, a true professional, which made my job even easier. To capture the full story, we stepped outside briefly to get some exterior and environmental shots, adding depth and context to the session.
For this particular project, the images were destined for an interview, so I kept that in mind. I shot a mix of portrait and landscape, carefully leaving space around the subject to accommodate any future copy—whether that be a quote, headline, or additional design elements. It’s always important to think ahead when the image needs to work with text. Ultimately, it’s these small considerations, like composition and environment, that help create a versatile image ready for any purpose. And no quantum physics degree required!
I used my canon 5d Mark 3 with my 24mm-105mm lens and my Godox V1 flash. Edits and retouching were done in Adobe Lightroom.
To see the interesting physics article please click the link below.