It was a beautiful Wednesday morning, the sun was unusually warm for this time of year and the atmosphere in the photo studio of Stefan Schmidlin in Basel was cheerful. White paint on the concrete walls, lots of technology and lighting and many wooden planks. Different lengths, different widths and sometimes generous. The photographer needed these boards to bring the models to the same eye level, an important detail of today's shoot.
The marketing consultant of KUCK UCK - Agency for Communication and the photographer stood relaxed with a coffee in their hands at the massive brown work table, each munching on a fresh croissant from the bakery around the corner, exchanging ideas and thoughts. They were served croissants, small cakes, Basler Läckerli, fruit and mineral water. A relaxed start to the day.
The work for this seniors@work The project began much earlier, with a lot of thought and creativity. The platform for retired talent over 60 needed a new website and, in this context, new photos that show how generations are brought together in the world of work.
Seniors stand for trust and reliability
How could the generational exchange between senior citizens and active workers be staged? What symbolism could best convey the idea of "complementing and not replacing"? After careful consideration and a few discarded concepts, the marketing consultant had a thought: how about a simple handshake? A handshake connects, shows trust and strength. The handshake demonstrates the interaction between the generations at eye level, within a second and very strikingly
The idea was born: let's join hands. The world of work would trustingly leave the work to senior citizens in order to free up their time and benefit from their experience and knowledge. What's more, it would show senior citizens that we are happy to make use of them. The handshake would create a powerful dynamic. The idea is that this would more accurately express the benefits for society.
How should these photos be taken? Outside, at work, at home? No, preferably in front of a neutral white background. If the photographer succeeds in emotionally charging an encounter between two generations, then the strict, hard image form allows the people portrayed to convey the symbolism with confidence. We needed an atmosphere and an expression that would capture more than just the specific moment.
These pictures should get to the people: entrepreneurs as employers and senior citizens as employees. So it was obvious for us to create very simple portrait photography: show people as they are. There was no make-up, people should imagine themselves as they are in real life. In addition, there were no complex instructions for these close-ups other than: shake hands. There was a lighting setup, a camera angle and a very simple portrait. Straight ahead, honest, and so spectacularly unspectacular. However; showing this lightness can be exhausting.
Senior citizen as photo model
Kathrin, a recent senior citizen, parked her bike right next to the entrance. She entered with a relaxed air and her presence quickly took over the room. The team greeted the newcomer model with a friendly handshake and after a sip of coffee, the first shots in everyday clothes could begin. The photographer coordinated the setting with the marketing consultant for the last time and the lighting was switched on. The smile is in place. The camera flashes. Kathrin's eyes light up. Alexis, founder of the platform seniors@work, laughed back, confidently accepted the senior's handshake and the camera clicked. In the second run, Kathrin was patiently photographed several times with the young entrepreneur, and in the third with a young mother. The little girl accompanying her mother was spontaneously enthusiastic about the photos, and so these pictures were also selected for the project.
Our team made rapid progress. The senior arrived punctually at 12 noon by bike and first inspected the pictures he had taken before standing in front of the camera for the shots with the founder. The senior smiled skillfully and calmly for the camera, confident and serious. In the second set, he shook hands with the young entrepreneurs and finally impressed them with his mother and child. The productive day was great fun for everyone involved and was a simple experiment with spectacular results.
In the afternoon, things got a little more creative; the choice of images was to represent a series of generational transitions and reflect the emotion of connectedness. This took a surprisingly short time and the team was very pleased. Looking at the photos, you can see how the idea is internalized by those involved. The handshake is a gesture of non-verbal communication, a sign of equality and respect. A sign of accessibility, trust and exchange. A simple idea of a handshake to connect generations at eye level.
