Some shoots begin weeks before the actual session.
Locations are scouted, ideas collected, lighting situations analysed and images photographed in the mind long before the shutter is released.
It was no different with Peter Wenauer.
Peter and I have known each other since our shared time at IMADEC University. Afterwards our professional paths went in different directions. While I worked for many years in the leasing industry, Peter continued his career in international management and later complemented his education with executive programmes at Harvard University.
When I told him about my Executive Stories project, I did not have to ask twice.
He was immediately ready to take part.
Everything was prepared
At least, that is what I thought.
The plan was an urban outdoor shoot. Modern architecture. Clean lines. Natural light.
A visual language that would have suited Peter and his professional background.
But a few days before the session it became clear that none of it would happen.
Rain.
A lot of rain.
So only one decision remained:
Change the plan.
Studio instead of city.
In hindsight, that was exactly the right decision.
A safe beginning
We started with classic portraits. Clean lighting, a reduced visual language — executive portraits as one knows them, the kind that find their place in any corporate communication.
These are images that create trust. And often it takes exactly these first minutes for both sides to arrive.
Cooking and photography
Anyone who knows Peter knows that his passion does not end with management or strategy. For many years he has been seriously involved with cooking — not as an occasional pastime, but with real devotion. Courses with award-winning chefs, techniques, recipes, always something new.
During the shoot I had to think repeatedly about how similar the two worlds are.
It takes knowledge.
Technique.
Experience.
But at some point comes the moment when you begin to experiment. You change ingredients. You change light. You try something without knowing where it will lead.
And that is exactly where it becomes interesting.
The moment the shoot changed direction
At some point we stopped following the original plan.
Light modifiers were exchanged.
Shadows became stronger.
Contrasts more daring.
Some ideas appeared spontaneously.
Others disappeared again after a few minutes.
Not every experiment works.
But every experiment opens up new possibilities.
It was precisely this openness that made the afternoon so engaging.
What had been planned as an executive portrait shoot turned into a shared creative session.
Executive Stories are not about positions
In recent months I have been asked several times what Executive Stories actually are.
The answer has little to do with business portraits.
I am not interested in titles.
Not in organisational charts.
Not in business cards.
I am interested in people.
Their story.
Their personality.
Their stance.
The things you do not find in a CV.
With Peter, on this day, it was above all curiosity, openness and the joy of trying new paths.
Qualities that are presumably just as important for good leadership as for good cooking.
And perhaps that is exactly why my favourite images of the day are not the ones we had planned.
But those that emerged once we stopped sticking to the plan.
About Peter Wenauer
Peter Wenauer is an executive manager and graduate of several executive education programmes, including at Harvard University. A long-standing companion and former fellow student at IMADEC University.
The strongest images often appear only after the original plan.
