RECAP: Sandy Segerstrom

While I enjoy being able to photograph Hollywood and music celebrities, many times I also photograph a different kind of celebrity. While they may not be in the media spotlight or up on the big screen or blasting through the radio, they are equally important people who are behind some of the more well-known companies, charities, and organizations that we interact with every day. I also find them to be just as interesting as their more famous counterparts. 

I must admit, when Newport Beach Magazine contacted me to photograph Sandy Segerstrom, I had no idea who she was. The last name, however was familiar, since there is a Segerstrom street in Orange County, as well as a Segerstrom Center for the Arts and a Segerstrom High School. A few minutes of Google work made the connection more obvious. Sandy Segerstrom is related to South Coast Plaza founder Henry Segerstrom. Basically, they own South Coast Plaza, which has the second highest sales volume in all of California at $800 per square foot. South Coast Plaza, in fact, is a tourist destination for Japan – you could for example, go to a travel agent and choose either a vacation in Disneyland or South Coast Plaza.

Sandy is also known as “the Segerstrom you don’t know about”, meaning she is very much a low-key, out of the spotlight kind of person which I personally think reflects her humble and down-to-earth personality. So much so in fact, that she brought Wahoo’s CEO and longtime friend Wing Lam with her to help overcome her nerves at the photoshoot. I really think that speaks volumes about a person who is so selfless in helping others through her charity work.

We set up the shoot at The Capital Grille, a restaurant in South Coast Plaza. We were provided a private dining area which while quaint, was really quite confining in terms of doing a photo shoot. However this particular room had a portrait of CJ Segerstrom, which I thought would make a great photo with Sandy. I balanced the light streaming in from a window with a medium sized softbox bounced onto the opposite wall to fill in the shadow side. The restaurant also prepared some dishes to serve as table dressing and props. Additional areas of the restaurant were also used, particularly the bar and wine cellar. It’s always a challenge lighting in tight spaces and in places of business like a restaurant because the last thing you want to do is interrupt the flow of business and produce a whole lot of clutter. You also want to be as efficient as possible and get in and out quickly. This time constraint must also be balanced with being patient with subjects that aren’t used to being photographed. Gaining their trust and making them comfortable is of the utmost importance.

All in all we had a very pleasant experience and it was great meeting the people who are behind two companies I always do business with as a customer.

Click here to read the article on Sandy Segerstrom.

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