Some collaborations begin long before a camera ever enters the room.
When I photographed Dr. Barbara Harrer a few weeks ago in Vienna, it was not our first shared project. Many years earlier we had already worked together in the field of real-estate leasing, accompanying large-scale projects and transactions for renowned clients. Back then, our professional focus lived in a completely different world — defined by financing, real estate, negotiations and economic decisions.
Today, our paths have evolved in fascinating ways.
Dr. Barbara Harrer now works as an independent entrepreneur and consultant, accompanying complex real-estate projects and contributing her legal as well as economic expertise to a wide range of developments. Through her consulting practice she supports companies and project developments especially at the intersection of law, economics and real estate. More about her work on LinkedIn.
My own path, in contrast, led me ever more strongly toward art, visual language and photography.
Perhaps it was precisely this shared history that gave this shoot its particular dynamic from the very beginning.
Because trust does not first appear in front of the camera.
The idea behind the shoot
For some time now I have been preoccupied with the question of what modern executive portraits should actually look like today.
Not stiff.
Not artificially staged.
And above all, not like classic business photography that you forget within seconds.
What interests me far more is a quieter, editorial visual language — portraits with atmosphere, presence and personality. Images that feel high-end without ever being loud. Elegant, modern and credible at the same time.
Dr. Barbara Harrer was the ideal personality for this.
Her combination of professional competence, clear stance, entrepreneurial experience and a very modern, style-conscious presence brought exactly the balance I was looking for in this series.
Vienna as a stage
The entire series was photographed outdoors in Vienna.
Deliberately not in a studio, but in the middle of the city — between soft light, historic paths and the elegant atmosphere of the Vienna Stadtpark.
That particular place fit the idea of the series perfectly.
The Stadtpark is one of the oldest and at the same time most atmospheric parks in Vienna. Between historic railings, old tree-lined avenues, curving paths and classic Viennese architecture, a particular calm emerges that one would hardly expect in the middle of a major city.
Many of the images were created during the golden hour, when the warm evening light slowly fell through the old trees and made the surroundings feel almost cinematic.
It was exactly this mix of urban elegance, history and calm that became the visual foundation of the entire series.
Only later did the atmosphere shift briefly into the U4 Stadtpark station — not as a dominant motif, but as a deliberate contrast. The clean lines and urban dynamics added a modern second layer to the quiet portraits.
Still, the real character of the shoot always remained the same:
quiet, reduced and personal.
Styling, presence and details
For hair & makeup we were accompanied by the wonderful @makeupbyasquina.
The approach was very deliberately subtle.
No visible "event makeup", no overstated styling — but a look that supports presence and at the same time remains natural. Especially with high-end portraits, these small nuances are often decisive.
Wardrobe also played a central role. Clean lines, high-quality fabrics and reduced colors made sure the focus always stayed on expression, posture and personality.
Because that, in the end, is where the real impact of a portrait emerges.
Photography between calm and presence
What fascinated me most about this shoot was the quiet self-evidence of many moments.
No exaggerated pose.
No hectic staging.
Instead, concentration on light, movement and expression.
Many of the strongest images were created precisely between the actual frames — during short conversations, while walking slowly through the park or in the silent moments between two pictures.
Perhaps that is exactly where the future of modern executive portraits lies:
less pure self-presentation, more personality.
A new direction
Even in post-production, a new visual language slowly emerged from this series.
No aggressive color looks.
No artificial effects.
Instead, reduced colors, controlled contrasts and a calm, high-end image quality with editorial character.
The longer I worked on this series, the stronger the feeling became that something more is starting here than just a single shoot.
Perhaps over the coming months a distinct direction will develop within schopho out of this — modern executive portraits between editorial aesthetics, personality and visual calm.
For now, it is only a first series.
But sometimes that is exactly how the most exciting projects begin.
Credits
Portrait: Dr. Barbara Harrer — bhconsol · LinkedIn
Photography: Peter Scholz · schopho
Hair & Makeup: @makeupbyasquina
Location: Vienna, Austria — Stadtpark & U4 station Stadtpark
Trust does not first appear in front of the camera.
