Abby, Plymouth, 2010

More than OK in fact.

A quick (but likely to be final) edit of a shot from last night’s shoot with Abby. I do curse my 3-year-old camera’s rather limited ability to focus ‘correctly’ in low light, but after seeing this image I think I should be thinking of it as a ‘feature’.

The focus ‘should’ be on the eye… as any portrait photographer will tell you. But to me, the most interesting thing here are the layers and texture of the hair, and I love the way they pop out in this shot, due to it being the shallow focal point.

Yeah, it’s a portrait, but the eyes aren’t always the subject.

I’ll just have to try and remember this when I get a better camera…

Ria, Plymouth, 2009

One of my favourite songs is ‘Hey Headmaster’. I was listening to it just now. It’s a b-side (or bonus track as would be called now, although it was actually the b-side of a vinyl single in its day) and appears on one of the ‘Further Listening’ releases by the Pet Shop Boys.

I’ve always been a fan of their music, but in particular their b-sides and extra tracks. For the most part, they’re clearly not just hastily recorded filler material, but I think seen as a chance to experiment with and develop ideas and songs that either don’t seem right for any album, or somehow not commercial enough to be the a-side.

Some of these songs are among their best and certainly most interesting. It somehow seems a shame that they don’t get the prime-time exposure, but then they kind of aren’t right for that anyway.

I feel completely the same way about my photography, and some of the images I have shot.

I have some images that I adore, that I find really beautiful, interesting and am very proud of, but I know that they don’t ‘fit’ into a broader set, or are as immediate in their impact as some others.

It feels a shame not to show these anywhere or to relegate them to a dusty corner of my hard-drive. Perhaps I’ll create my own ‘Further Viewing’ album.

… Perhaps one day I’ll have a dedicated following, making such a collection worthwhile. Hah!

Until then, here’s a future b-side, featuring Ria.

Beki, Plymouth, 2009

And again and again and again.

Rachal S, Plymouth, 2009

September is nearly here.

I’m quite looking forward to autumn, I think it might be my favourite season.

Picture is another from the set I shot a few weeks ago with Rachal S.

Rachal S, Plymouth, 2009

Sometimes it’s lovely. A nice, quiet, drizzley Sunday can be a lovely thing for reading, snoozing or performing other menial indoor tasks.

But when it’s the continual state of affairs during the third consecutive washed-out summer, then it just makes me want to consider emigrating.

Or at least taking a long holiday in sunnier climes.

Picture is a sneak-peek of a set featuring Rachal S.

Emillie, Plymouth, 2009

Why is gold the archetypal precious metal? Is it purely because it’s shiny?

Does it have any use?

I’m going to have to research this.

EDIT – Of course I know that gold has its uses, I meant does it have a use which makes it so highly valued.

Becci, Plymouth, 2009

It’s tricky… In life, I mean.

Although if I were to stretch the photographic analogy, then just as it’s harder to focus in the dark with a camera, when things are not so clear, it’s harder to focus in life when there’s not much latch onto.

It’s all to easy to be distracted and, just as a camera with start to focus on things other than the intended subject , it’s all too easy to find yourself giving too much attention to things that don’t really matter, or at least are of only fleeting benefit.

Perhaps abandoning auto-focus and returning to manual mode is the answer?

Slightly lost the analogy now, but it made sense up to a point.

Rosie C, Plymouth, 2009

Apologies for the lack of updates, I’ve moved residence.

All the usual inconveniences that come with moving are in full effect. Please bear with me, ‘normal’ service will resume soon, hopefully.

Rosie C, Plymouth, 2009

Off to the coast today. I want to look at the sea.

Summer is tentatively trying to assert itself out there.

Emillie, Plymouth, 2008

It’s all about texture. I’m a lover of texture. It’s the main reason I love using shallow depth of focus so much — the details of the area in focus really ping out against the softness surrounding them.

And when the details reveal something about the person or add an element of intrigue to the situation being photographed, so much the better.

The goosebumps on Emillie’s arm in this image are a nice example of this. Without them, it’d still be a nice image, no doubt. With them, however, it becomes something slightly curiouser and holds the attention just that little bit longer… The image starts to feel a bit more ‘real’ and therefore more engaging.