Portaits: On location, more variety...

I have always enjoyed taking photos of people; over the years I have found that I prefer a more casual take on this subject. The glare of a studio environment can work wonders, but removing a subject from their natural place of residence, also leaves me feeling somewhat cold and can often make some people less comfortable.

Many photographers like the studio, as it allows them to have complete control over the lighting, it's a case of getting the pose or expression. I like the less contrived nature of informal portraits, even if it can be more of a challenge with lighting. Nothing appeals less to me than to put up a cheesy/obvious background, then repeating the same photo shoot with many people. It's like a conveyor belt of sitters..being churned out one after the other! The only variation being the expressions and body positions. Everyone is unique, and deserves to be treated as such!

I want my photos to be original, and not repeatable. All photographers do of course, but the studio can be a barrier to that goal. If you ask a person where was, "that portrait", taken..it might appeal more to say it was at home, at work, in the garden, or a place of interest. The environment and location do matter..

Unposed: Taken on Ilford HP5 film, natural light.

The subject will remember the shot was taken outside her house

Communion: A series of shots back at home, he had just a few seconds to respond to the camera