Photographer/Director Ethan Pines has recently found himself in an unexpected place: in front of the camera. The recent resurgence of his famous photo shoot with Elizabeth Holmes for Forbes Magazine has been making rounds over a decade after it hit newsstands, thanks to the Oscar-buzzed documentary, You Can See Everything directed by Nathan Fielder. Throughout the film, Ethan’s portrait is referenced multiple times, becoming an infamous albatross to Holmes.
From NOVA and The Wall Street Journal to The Today Show, inquiring minds have been asking Ethan about the process and experience that made the whole photoshoot happen. Ethan took to Instagram (where views have totaled over 1.8 million) to reflect on the experience in his own words:
“Everyone’s been asking me: What was Elizabeth Holmes like? Out of 297 shots for Forbes, there are a few unguarded, expressive moments — plus blinks!
She was confident, approachable, conversational and easy to talk to. She asked about me and my crew. She seemed open to and present in the experience, not distracted and rushed as CEOs often are. She did her own makeup and hair. She had that distinct black turtleneck and jacket. I told her she had a sci-fi look, and she laughed.
Before she ever arrived, Theranos P.R. scouted with us. It was clear they felt she was a huge deal, and they wanted things to be ready before she arrived. We were forbidden from scouting her office suite.
Once Elizabeth was there, P.R. did not stick around for the whole shoot. For most of the cover setup, it was just me, my assistant and Elizabeth. I felt that we had an enjoyable, relaxed shoot and a good connection. We shot on grey first, then in the two lab environments. We had around two hours with her, which is as lot for a CEO.
During the shoot, she didn’t have strong opinions on how what we did, nor did her P.R. Of course she arrived with that distinct look, but rather than trying to control or direct, she was very open to direction.
As for that blood vial, I wanted to take the cover beyond standard portrait on a clean backdrop. I was hoping she could hold something that represented Theranos. I asked if they had anything she could hold that represented the company or their technology. They said they couldn’t have blood samples, since were temperature controlled. But they had these small vials, which they called nanotainers, with fake blood inside. It sounded perfect. They had some brought over, and we captured those now-iconic shots.
After the fraud came out, I thought to myself, perhaps that’s how she got all those investors who seemingly didn’t do enough due diligence. She was sincere, relatable, approachable, conversational. You wanted to believe her and believe in her.
See the Forbes images, behind the scenes, and the portrait’s impact below.
To view more of Ethan’s work, visit his Workbook portfolio.
Represented by Randy Cole Represents.
