jeremy is the manager of new business development for best buy. this is a title that probably means a lot more to you if you’re not a photographer and you work for a real company. to me, it could mean nearly anything. three things i know, though:

first, the inside of a best buy store is a terrible place to try to take pictures. it’s busy, full of distracting patterns that are not aesthetically pleasing, and garishly lit.

second, best buy and ikea probably keep the blue exterior paint business going and the outside of the store was a much more pleasant location.

three, when in doubt – and if they’re available – add balloons to your executive portraits. my deepest thanks to jeremy for having the patience to put up with our silly requests, and for trusting that it would all look good in the end. i’m always amazed when subjects let go of their tensions and just go with what seems like a silly idea. either it’s trust, or they’re just sick of having their picture taken at that point and they figure if they do what i say they can go home sooner.

my thanks to scott mlyn at businessweek for the assignment, and to bennett for helping out.