ms. bisset is ready for you
Last night at 10pm. I was assigned to photograph actress Jacqueline Bisset in her Chicago hotel room.
Bisset is in town to serve as jury chair for the Chicago International Film Festival.
Tribune movie critic Michael Phillips was given a bit over 20 minutes to interview Ms. Bisset and I was given about 1/10th of that time to make a pleasing portrait.
It is always a challenge to walk into a room, meet someone who you have never met and then have to immediately start taking photographs of them.
It is especially challenging when the room offers little of interest and the subject only wants to be shot from one angle.
Jacqueline Bisset was very sweet and charming but she was also nervous that I was going to make her look bad. I also think that she wasn’t very used to having her portrait taken by a photojournalist.
She commented several times about my motor drive and my want to shoot her backlit.
My favorite ended up being one that I intentionally over-exposed but a more straight forward one ran with Phillips’ article.
I know that she will never see my images of her, but if she does, I hope she doesn’t hate them too much.
©2009 Scott Strazzante/ Chicago Tribune
NOTE: On October 26th, I was surprised to receive this excellent email-
hello scott,this is jacqueline bisset.i read in the article about me that i would never see your photo .you are wrong,i loved it! really. it was extremely lively,which i like.thank you very much. all the best,! jacqueline
shooting from the hip 
She’s still beautiful!
That is a GREAT picture. So much character.
Hola… tengo 43 años y te escribo desde Argentina. J B siempre me pareciò una mujer fascinante y encantadora. Le mando un abrazo grandote. Es preciosa!!!!!!! Ojalà todas las mujeres pudièramos cuidarnos tan bien como ella.