Most of our commercial shoots require meticulous planning and prep work beforehand. Sometimes we even spend two to three months scouting, casting, arranging, permitting, etc. so that we can achieve that perfect shot for our clients. Those images go on to serve our clients but also get put into the portfolio to be shown off. Once in a while I get a portfolio piece just by dumb luck.
The above shot was taken while I was eating breakfast one morning in the middle of the Mediterranean. If a client commissioned this shot, it most likely would have involved finding a great location, chartering a vintage pilot boat and renting a helicopter to shoot from. After all that was arranged, we probably would have had a 4AM call time and then waited a couple hours for the perfect light. But this shot was the result of just being in the right place at the right time. The below video is how it all went down.