When I built this website I wanted an engaging and beautiful image to welcome people. This is the image I chose.
I think its important that a portrait says something, I want it to be engaging, I want to wonder what that person is thinking about, and want to know more about them. Simplicity is something I love in portraits, its good to spend a little time talking, getting to know your subject, what makes them tick, their likes and dislikes. These things all go some way to helping your images show that little bit more emotion in them.
I think this is one of my very favourite portraits, it was taken a few years ago now in Kirklees Hall, which is a 16th-century Grade I listed Jacobean hall in Yorkshire with my friend Natasha.
I love the fall off in this image, shallow depth of field brings more attention to the subject, and in a portrait that is exactly what is needed! I shoot a lot with my lens as wide open as I can to accentuate this. Its a little tricky sometimes, you have to be spot on with your focusing, especially as a lot of the time I shoot in fairly low light conditions, and being quite lazy and not liking to drag lots of gear around I don't often have a tripod or monopod with me so I will shoot with my left arm bent around holding the top of my right arm, and my camera balanced over my elbow. It gives me a little more steadiness when its required if the shutter speed is a little slow. Try it, it works, even if you end up looking a little daft!
Anyway, please feel free to comment or share or ask a question if you would like to.
Thanks for reading :)
Rob
Tewkesbury & Gloucestershire Photographer
