People are Personal
Shooting people requires the fastest of reflexes. Looking through the lens and finding the instant when the mask is off and the shields are down, capturing the real person. Not the rictus grin photo face. Many people freeze their faces when being photographed, into what they believe will look nice, but the results are rarely pretty - unless of course you are a professionally trained model or actor. People’s beauty shows through when they are their real selves with the rawness and vulnerability of truth.
My comments on each image are below.
Josephine
I wanted to have portraits of people in a landscape ratio, and this and the next image of Imogen were posed to that end. I was using natural light combined with a reflector. My sister Josephine is a great model as she has a natural beauty, and she was being very patient as I had her face this way and that.
Imogen
Imogen here is 10 and another good model. I had the light source low to cast reflections on the wall of the geometric angles of her arms. Her arms are both angular and very relaxed and the contrast pleased me.
Girl with Earring
The image that caused the drama at the photo club. We had a professional portrait photographer come and talk to us and show us lighting set-ups and as we had been invited to bring our cameras, I did. I interacted with the model and took the shot - which I thought was beautiful and also suited my theme of taking landscape ratio portrait pictures. The venom I received over this image was breathtaking. Any way all history now.
Yvette Parsons and Alistair Rabbit
The AK79 Reunion in November 2008 brought a handful of old punks together again. I’m not fond of using a flash, but used a grainy patina to counteract the harshness and to reflect the nostalgia of the event. I caption this image in my mind with various snappy rebukes from Yvette.
Jordan
Bathed in sunlight and deep in contemplation, this candid shot is slightly washed out, but I like it that way.
Arlo
In a similar pose to the previous shot but with a much different mood. In a roomful of people a teenage Arlo prefers to keep himself to himself.