As I am coming to the end of my module, I have decided to finish shooting the portraits. It has been a challenge trying to find people willing for me to come to their house and also people who were in walking distance for me to be able to go there as part of my daily exercise. When I started thinking about the portraits, I aimed for 10 people. 10 was enough to be able to choose from for my final prints, but also a realistic target. I now have 2 weeks till the deadline and in my personal timetable I planned to have the last two weeks to edit, sequence and (when university was still open) printing.
So as possibly one of my last shoots, I visited my boyfriends grandparents. My friend lives in the same street so I was able to photograph her as well.
As usual I went at sunset but as it was a bright sunny day, the sun was really reflective on the windows. I faced the usual challenges of getting the reflection right, making sure the person stands out enough and being aware of the composition, all while trying to make sure my own reflection is not in the frame. The difficulty that was worse in this shoot was making sure there actually was a reflection. Both of their houses looked out at fields and so there was not a lot of interest in the reflection. I experimented with angles to improve this.
My boyfriend’s grandad was the hardest to shoot as he could not really hear what I was saying and so it was hard to instruct. He is looking at the camera, but because his eyes are slightly in the dark I think it can still work. I will compare with the rest of my images when I get to the sequencing stage.
These images were successful. I really like the first were she is emerging from behind the curtain. The sun has lit her face, highlighting her feature and expression. It is the expression that I find really interesting. You begin to question what she is looking out at. She looks unhappy and somewhat scared, shown by the way her hand still holds on the curtain. Unfortunately that image does not fit with the rest of the series as there is not much reflection. I have started to focus on getting the sky in the shot, and this one doesn’t. The other 2 photos work well though. I like how the shadow goes half way through her face. This intriguing light and bold reflection has made the image more interesting.
Lucy Davis 