kevin wilson photography | wedding photographer | dorset

Lockdown 

Congratulations

Rachel Thornhill ABIPP

As the year 2020 started, everyone was full of optimism, 2020 had a positive ring about it, excitement and expectations for my own family were reaching a crescendo.

My daughter Charlotte was busy finalising her arrangements for her own wedding due to take place in Sicily.

 The wedding season was about to start , diaries were rapidly filling, the coming year looked promising as well as exciting, it appeared on the face of it as though it would be busy.

 Julie and I were on board the cruise liner, Crystal Symphony, sailing and enjoying life on board this luxury liner, what turned from an atmosphere of joy suddenly became one of caution and awareness, cruising was in trouble. We were sailing from San Diego to Hong Kong, however, after leaving Guam we were due to visit Manila in Philippines, Da Nang,Vietnam and finally our destination was to Hong Kong. All this was now cancelled and we were left sailing around the South China Sea, no destinations would allow us to dock. Singapore finally allowed us to enter and fly home.

Very few would consider to draw a parallel with the Zager and Evans song, “ in the year 2525 “ just how significant 2020 would be for everyone.

I was in conversation with one of my mentees, Rachel Thornhill, just after Boris Johnson, our Prime Minister announced Covid 19 national lockdown, the first week or so was filled with anticipation and how would we all cope?  I sensed Rachel's concerns, not just for her business, more importantly, her family.

Rachel having previously attained her Licentiate qualification in Portraiture was keen to progress to her Associateship, this being the next step on the qualifications system. Feeling rather deflated, knowing that social distancing and Covid 19 was going to prevent her photographing her wedding clients throughout the summer months meant Rachel’s dream of gaining her Associateship in wedding photography was rapidly going downhill.  Her camera had not been out of the bag and unsure she she may have the chance to use it once more.

I suggested that she might like to consider creating a body of work that would reflect the Pandemic, photographing her family, how they were coping and adjusting to a very different way of life. This would also provide a fascinating history for her children to talk about in future generations, passed on to their own grandchildren in years to come.

Their home was transformed to allow Rachel to create school lessons, the lounge became useful for recording daily activities as they coped with all the emotions of Oscar & Ben unable to meet their friends and visit their out of school normal life.Zoom meetings for Judo classes and birthday celebrations gave Rachel the opportunity to capture the spirit the boys embraced.

The ensuing months, saw Rachel set about this project which would document the days of lockdown in her family home, the rest is history.

 Rachel has something that her boys will always be able to look back on in years to come, in turn they will be able to relate this period of their lives to their children.

Rachel's words

When I first discovered the BIPP, I was constantly looking for answers. What makes a great image, how do I create images with impact, and style, and why do images that I love not necessarily rate with trainers or mentors? I was very new to the industry, and incredibly keen, and the answer that I constantly got was that I need to keep shooting. Keep practicing. It will come. For someone who is often quite methodical and plans things to the Nth degree, this felt quite frustrating. I was willing to put the time in, the energy and the work, and wanted to learn. 

For me, a Mentor is someone who’s work you not only adore and photographs you wish you’d taken, but that you can look at and say, that fits with what I would try to achieve too. You don’t question their work, but appreciate the nuances, the things that become apparent the more you look at an image. Images that speak for themselves with beauty and impact so don’t need words of explanation. 

From the first time I met Kevin, when he was chair of my LBIPP qualification in 2018, I knew he was someone I aspired to be mentored by. His work is stunning, but I knew I had a long way to go, and needed to put in the work to learn the technicals; and in particular the light, composition, posing. In fact he told me as much at the time! Even after that brief conversation, I felt inspired by his constructive comments.

Our next meeting was at The Societies in 2019; when a chat in the bar led on to discuss my work, and I was stunned when Kevin could recall images from my panel. The images that I loved, but could be improved upon in so many ways! It was one of those conversations that ignited a spark, and I knew I wanted to learn more! As a photographer who at the pinnacle of his profession using predominantly natural light, he is one to learn from; to be able to use available light in the best way possible is a precious transferrable skill that I wanted to learn. 

Anyway, life and work happened, and the months flew by. But when I saw that Kevin was teaching a Seminar at Wrest Park for Colour Rite alongside Ross Grieve, I knew that this was a day I had to be part of! And a fantastic day it was too, a beautiful day in a beautiful location, and the chance to see how Kevin worked such a location, and to ask questions as he went, was like gold dust. I knew then that if I wanted my work to progress he was the Creative Mentor for me.

One of the most important parts of my time with Kevin was regular conversations. These helped give me direction; when I showed him current client work he gave me feedback that I could implement for my very next shoot. His words were constructive and encouraging, and he always followed up on them, so held me accountable. Not just ideas that I forgot about. Which, when you work for yourself in this industry, can be very hard to find. 

Then Lockdown happened.

It was on the 23rd April that I had a chat with Kevin that would have a big impact on me. He could tell I was feeling somewhat down, and asked what I’d shot recently. Apart from a few snaps on my iPhone for my personal instagram, I hadn’t shot anything, not even touched my camera, because I felt I had no reason to. I capture memories for my Clients, moments in time that they can hang on their wall as beautifully framed heirlooms, to be enjoyed for many years to come. I always like to have a reason to shoot, having learnt over the many years I’ve had a digital camera that without that I just end up with hundreds of images sitting on hard drives not touched. It was then that Kevin asked about my sons, and what they had been up to. I told him about the Zoom Judo classes, the Zoom birthday party that Ben was invited to and the fun on our walks over Colley Hill. Kevin suggested that I took my camera out and captured a couple of portraits of them, for them. 

When I think back to when I was little, I often remember moments that also happen to exist in photographs. I remember the bench in Grandma’s garden, eating ice cream at the beach, climbing trees at Leeds Castle. However I’m not really sure if I’m remembering the times themselves, or the photographs. But I don’t think it matters, if photographs help our memories, then they are important. 

So from that conversation came an idea; Create a record of Lockdown through Oscar and Benjamin’s eyes. Photographs for them to look back on, to keep, and to show to their children in years to come, exactly as I say to my Clients that their children will do with the photographs I create for them. Until then, I never thought to create such a record for the two most important little people in my life. Why shouldn’t I create for our family the kind of memories that I create for my Clients? 

Over the next few days, the idea grew. I began to look more closely at the children as they did their activities, study how the light changed through the day in the house. I drew up ideas for portraits of us all. As it meant shooting much of the project indoors and in our small space, I needed to use my 24-70mm f2.8 lens much more, shooting wider than my typical work. We have limited space the most of that space to help keep the captures as true as possible, using the available light. My chance to really use what Kevin had taught me! 

I started off the project in my comfort zone, outdoors on a walk over the beautiful Colley Hill on the North Downs, and my only chance to use my beloved 70-200 2.8 lens. I really wanted to capture the cameradie that they had developed having spent so much time together over the previous weeks, and for that afternoon with the novelty of playing photoshoot, they happily obliged. When I reviewed the photographs on the computer afterwards, I couldn’t believe how much they’d grown, right under our noses! 

Shooting indoors at home was more of a challenge. For my Clients, I tend to move things (with their approval of course!). Whether that is a chair, toys or even furniture, I’m pretty hands on to get the best picture possible. But because this was a record of the time, I felt things shouldn’t be moved, or prettied. It was much more of a reportage approach than I’ve been used to, but the right thing to do. Photographs or posters on the walls, toys in the garden, items on the dining room table, things on the worktops in the kitchen all needed to be included. So these became my layers, or frames. I had Kevin’s words in my head, “Look for the bigger picture” and tried where I could in the limited space to allow for cropping. And I whenever I sent Kevin the work that I’d done, I took his feedback on board each and every time.

When I started to look at the images I’d created, I could see that these called out to being 􏰙􏰖black and white. I adore using colour in my Client’s work, but this felt different. I wanted to emphasise that this was a change from my normal work, giving more of a focus on details and emotions. The impact of the images in monochrome became so much stronger. 

What was intended as a personal project to practice my storytelling photography became a real passion project for me. I loved the challenge, having a reason to shoot really helped keep my spirits up. When I showed Kevin the bulk of the project and he said I should think about submitting for my A panel, I was completely taken aback. That was never the intention for these images; although true, not being able to work with my clients meant I presumed putting a panel together this year would be out of the question. Perhaps it shows that even in adversity, we can still move forward as artists, and when something is important to us, our energy can be harnessed to achieve things even though we have no idea how we might go about doing so. 

But the absolute key to Kevin’s mentoring was that could see what I was trying to achieve, and allowed me to develop my own style. His teaching simply added to what I had already, I wasn’t trying to relearn and to change, I wasn’t trying to be someone else, or imitate others. These were photographs that came from the heart, and Kevin’s mentoring helped me to enhance my work, not to change it. And those skills are a priceless gift that not only allowed me to gain my qualification, but that I will carry with me throughout my time as a Photographer. 

Rachel Thornhill ABIPP ASWPP LMPA

Rachel Thornhill Photography

Rachel Thornhill ABIPP ASWPP LMPA
Rachel Thornhill Photography

kevin wilson photography | wedding photographer | dorset

Rachel Twigger LBIPP

I am delighted and yet equally excited for Rachel, to announce that she has recently qualified as a full Licentiate member of the British Institute of Professional Photography.

 Rachel who lives in Ilkley, West Yorkshire 

has been working with myself over the last 12 months. Her journey started with this email November 2018.

"
Hope you’re having a lovely Friday; today’s weather in Yorkshire is simply stunning, hope it’s the same with you!

I am contacting you to enquire about the mentoring programmes you do and wonder if it would be possible to have a chat with you about how it works, what sort of cost is involved and whether you’d be prepared to take me on!

It’s taken me a good while to pluck up the courage to write to you, but today is the day, no more messing about ;-)

Looking forward to speaking with you,

Kindest regards,

Rachel Twigger "

So, what is mentoring? According to the dictionary it is an adviser to an inexperienced person. Looking deeper you could say, a consultant, tutor, guru, trainer, teacher, confidante or instructor.

I personally feel it is a combination of all the above. There is no magic short cut that can guarantee you success without time and effort, not to mention a cost financially. Therefore it is imperative to choose someone that produces work that inspires you, just as Rachel has done in her email. In addition it is wise to select someone that truly understands what is required. I have served as an assessor, judge and chairperson of all the associations and at all levels. I have also mentored some of the finest photographers practising.

When I consider whether a mentee is suitable, primarily i am looking for someone that posseses aptitude as opposed to an attitude or ego.

Reading Rachel's words, it is easy to see that she is one that does not have an ego, it is plain to anyone that encounters her will without doubt reach the conclusion of how much she loves photography.

 Her willingness and desire to understand the finer points is infectious and if we could bottle that, everyone would be a winner, just as she is proving to be.

 It would be pointless in working with a mentee that is not prepared to work hard to achieve a set goal.So, I want to be clear that it is not going to be a pat on the back from the doctor .

Rachel is the one with the aptitude, it did not take me long to realise that she has enormous talent and a desire to be as good as she can possibly be, not just for herself, more importantly she wanted her clients to receive the finest work she could produce. It was evident that she wanted her clients to be aware of her qualifications within a professional body.

Rachel agreed dates with myself and decided that as distance was considerable, it would be useful to cover the three days, the fashionable term now is a " retreat ". :) Fancy name that has little relevance as far as I a can see.

I live in West Dorset, in a tiny village without street lighting, gas or even a pub. However, we do have a fine bed and breakfast in the village that overlooks the meandering river Frome. Nickie the proprietor does a fabulous breakfast. Naturally,  if I am to recommend, I have to taste and experience it myself, so a retreat and a treat is what it is. I hasten to add, plenty pubs nearby with warm cosy fires. 

Three days is quite demanding and knowledge needs to be digested, evenings are not just for relaxing, it is to absorb the information that I share. This invariably leads us to discuss further during an evening out, with a fine wine.

Initial assessment of Rachel's work was extremely pleasing, it had a latent quality and talent that assured me that it would not be long before she qualified, 11 months later she did just that. Her work was assessed in October 2019.

Interestingly, Rachel's preference is to capture her work on film, mainly on medium format cameras' Pentax 6 x 7 (aka) Sam Haskins and  Fuji Pro 400H.

Here is an example of an image  that Rachel captured on film, I think you will agree that Rachel has an eye for styling and scouting for location. Beautifully backlit subject in a fine setting.

A relaxed pose with an excellent backdrop, no white sky to draw your eyes away from the main subject.

Rachel has demonstrated to the BIPP that she is equally at home and comfortable with studio work , light ratios and exposures all well executed. Her control of the situation results in portraits that will stand the test of time.

One of the first qualities I wish to instill with my mentees is to slow down. Shooting film demands just that, unless you have money to burn. Digital allows photographers to shoot endless imagery, hoping that one will be brilliant, this is not the best way to learn.

Film and medium format cameras demand skill, firstly, exposure has to be correct, shutter speed, aperture , composition carefully selected, all prior to releasing the shutter. Exposing for film correctly is an art in itself. This discipline has now been carried over into her digital work, time is saved in editing when exposures and colour balance are consistent, who wants to spend all day in front of Photoshop?

Rachel's personality as a warm human being is pretty evident within the expressions she manages to get, so trust from her subject is assured and that lowers any barriers between the photographer and client, so being a people person is one of the most important attributes. I suppose that goes without saying, especially as she is a Yorkshire lass.

Environmental portraiture is a genre that I have done from the very first time I picked up a camera. It is portraiture that is desirable and if handled well as Rachel has, it can command revenue that clients can appreciate as value for money being well spent.

Rachel and I are actively working together in order to qualify as an Associate, something well within her grasp.I will add a few more examples of her work for you to enjoy, then let you read what Rachel's personal thoughts are on this wonderful journey she has participated in.

A slight change of angle results in another relaxed portrait

Studio work

The background has been exposed correctly with a hair light that is not too dominant, clothing colour coordinated.

Photography for me began early, before I was 10 years old I had my own camera and begged my parents to buy me film!

My father was a great amateur photographer, as was my grandfather, so I was used to being around cameras and I remember loving pictures from being very young. Photographs of people and places have always been incredibly precious to me.

Here is a portrait of me as a child a picture which encapsulate my passion for photographs and memories.  This is a portrait my Dad took of me.  He developed and printed it himself. It’s incredibly special to me.   Through this picture my Mum remembers every tiny detail, the time of day, the room we were in, the jumper knitted by my Grandmother… it not only brings back that moment, but the sights, the sounds, the smells, even what she ate that day!

So perhaps it was inevitable that although I have tried landscapes, still life and other photographic genres, it is portraiture that has always been the one that fires me up.  Through every fibre of my being, I believe in taking photos of people – they don’t always seem special in the moment the shutter is pressed, because what you take a picture of, is right in front of you. But 5, 10, 15 years down the line, those pictures can mean everything. 

I’ve always wanted to be a photographer, but instead fell into a corporate career which has been good to me. My desire to take pictures never left me though, and my wedding present from my husband was a beautiful Nikon camera and lenses (all film – we’ve been married a while!). It was enough to reignite my passion for photography and once our children came along, my camera soon turned towards them.

After second shooting at many weddings and doing my own portrait work, I realised that it is not only my passion for capturing moments (both ordinary and extraordinary) which drives me, but also the interaction and engagement with my subjects which I love.  Working with someone, getting to know them, helping them to relax and actually enjoy being in front of the camera… I’ve found this can be a transformative and confidence-building experience for people.

So I’d discovered that portraiture was my “thing” but I realised that my work was not living up to my expectations.

I’d studied for a GCSE and attended many workshops alongside my corporate job, but I’d reached a stalemate – my photography had got to a reasonable standard, but not to the level I wanted. I couldn’t see what I didn’t like in my pictures and knew I needed some more personalised help to move me forward. 

I’d followed Kevin’s work for a while and decided to reach out to him – it felt like a big step, he’s mentored so many great names that I wondered whether he’d even consider taking me on! After a telephone conversation though, I knew that he would be able to help. He was very encouraging and very supportive and we were both sure he could guide me through the process of developing my skills.

For me, having Kevin as a mentor is not about him teaching me his style, Kevin’s work is stunning but I don’t want to be his clone, my work will ultimately be very different because I see things differently. However, he is a master. Of light, of composition, of subject, of colour tones and balance. And his breadth and depth of knowledge is second to none. After a couple of mentoring sessions, I knew things had already changed and I was starting to “see” things differently.  

If this was all I learned from Kevin, that would have been enough, but what turned out to be more important for me was that he has restored my faith and trust in myself. It’s so easy to criticise your own work, so easy to get down on yourself. I’d convinced myself that I was rubbish! But to have someone of Kevin’s stature and experience giving me a balanced perspective of my work (yes, there’s a lot to work on, but there’s also a lot that’s good about it!) started to re-build my faith in myself.  Learning to trust my perspective and my vision will take time but Kevin has had a hugely positive impact on building my confidence doing something I love… life changing!

The next steps for me are to find my “jam”. I feel like I’ve found my subject matter, I have new technical knowledge and insight, although I recognise that refining this will be a lifelong process. Now I need to discover my unique perspective on how to photograph people and will continue to work with Kevin as my mentor; I have every faith that with his guidance and encouragement, I will 

kevin wilson photography | wedding photographer | dorset

Janice Ward LBIPP

I believe Janice's calling was always going to involve artistic content, having achieved an A at A level in that subject during her education it was going to feature in her career.

 The perfect example of Janice and her spontaneity is within this  captivating, delightful candid portrait, had it been taken by the famous Cartier Bresson, it would be applauded as a masterpiece, However, it is every bit as good.

This lady has lived a full life and does not care what people may think or say, because she is an individual and full of confidence. The expressive hands, cigarette ash and glasses, headscarf all add to who this lady is.

This portrait  is making me want to know so much more about her, it is a photograph that will always carry universal appeal to photographers.

Initially, Janice trained within the NHS, this saw her becoming a highly skilled physiotherapist specialising in Musculoskeletal problems, a profession she loved .

Unfortunately, illness took hold with her developing a form of epilepsy and later unable to speak. This came at a time Janice was enjoying life as a Senior physiotherapist and In the Private sector  these are her words and her story. 

"A routine tonsillectomy shook up my career path suddenly , when after the op, it was clear something had gone wrong when I couldn’t speak. As I was recovering, I travelled home to arrive to see the news  breaking of the twin towers attack. at that point I also felt my own career was crashing down.

 Being unable to communicate verbally  had a profound effect on my personal and professional life. It was career ending.  I had a choice to stay indoors unemployable or venture out and educate myself whilst relearning to speak once more. I decided it was time for me to make decisions."

I enrolled on a Foundation Diploma course in Art and Design at The University of Gloucester, Cheltenham. It was not easy but I would write information down if I couldn’t make myself understood. At best I sounded deaf but I could now speak a little.

I studied Art History, Graphic Design, life drawing and photography. I spent time developing black and white film and I got my first tiny Sony Cybershot with a 3 megapixel sensor.

I took some images of my nephews just sitting facing into the sun with their sunglasses on but altered each slightly to suit their characters, I loved those portraits and they were carefully enlarged up and have been displayed on my sisters wall for years, once again proving how valuable photography can be to families and the wider world.

This was first indication of what I was going to love in Photography later.

At this point I was only seeing my husband at weekends so we decided it would be nice to have some professional family portraits taken by a cousin who is a wedding photographer. She took our family photos and immediately I said I would like to do this.

 She advised me to do a course online which I did and got my USA Diploma in Professional studies in Photography in 2016 at this time shooting on a Nikon D40 and kit lens. 

The boys were still really young  so Initially I dabbled In stock photography and  enjoyed the freedom that this brought to me. I invested in a Canon 5D Mk 111  and purchased a range of lenses in different focal lengths. 

I decided to further my career by attending a course in America, however just before I left I had a feeling something was missing.

Having become aware of Kevin Wilson's images recently and realising I had referred a friend to one of his workshops that I was unable to attend at that point. I emailed Kevin and left a message never expecting anything to come of it.

I was particularly impressed by his accolades spanning decades and his consistency and clear style. He had perfected what I was looking for even though I suspected weddings may not be my specialism. However, weddings are portraits of people after all.

I had been relatively successful winning numerous prestigious accolades  10 bronze awards in Child portraits, creative portraits and contemporary portrait categories for my studio work It felt good but the feeling I was off track was now growing.

I called Kevin , we had a conversation about how he would be able to help me. Subsequently, I booked a training session. Soon I was back out shooting outdoors, soon I was learning how to be myself again. I was feeling vibrant about my future, realising that I could pursue the path I wished to follow.

I wanted to address my weaknesses I didn’t have a consistent style. I wasn’t really understanding printing  and I was lost because I hadn’t found what was important to me in my own photography..

The first session with Kevin I was bit stressed as I hadn’t really thought about how many accolades he has won and worried I was way out of my depth. Having had an art background though meant that for me being mentored felt like I was following in the artists tradition of studying under a Master it really suited me . This is one of the reasons I often refer to Kevin Wilson as 'The Master.

So before I met him I got really nervous. I need not have been. He has a very good way of guiding and teaching so it all seems to happen very naturally if you pay attention.

I implemented everything I learnt immediately.

 He started to understand me more and realised I needed to find my own style using my strengths. He realised I wasn’t looking to necessarily look like his style, he suggested I go to view Don McCullin's exhibition in London, which I did and duly called Kevin saying, " you knew what that would do to me didn’t you?" When I called to confess to crying  and I had  to get  outside as I was overcome with the emotion of some images.

 Photography had only moved me in this way on three occasions now. First time was seeing Kelly Brown's Fine Art images of her mother, whilst fighting cancer , second time seeing Kevin Wilson's Centenarian project and now seeing raw emotion in Don McCullin's work. This all struck a chord with me, I wanted to create something on a subject that is also very emotional.

I am clearly an emotional photographer and I realised I had tried to hide this from my imagery so often and hence the feeling of being off track. Emotion, it blinded me to the technical, now I really understood. The next time I went to Kevin's studio I was to learn from my mistakes and grow my editing knowledge. 

This was where I was now on the right track I understood what was important to me in a portrait and why. Now I could harness the emotional side and pull up the technical side.

 I realised  The final time was to help me see more in depth re editing and printing.

I would show Kevin my RAWS with no deletes. I trusted the process and so glad I did as turns out it showed up some points I was able to really grow from. This was a very instrumental part of my learning.

Where I’m at now is still a huge surprise for me . I realise I am a Portrait photographer, I’m somewhere between candid and posed, I am my own style now. I understand that for me it isn’t all about just a pretty picture there needs to be a reason for taking it too, for it to feel right to me. I want beautiful imagery but I also want real and authentic photographs.

 One thing that may surprise is that even though Kevin is known for his elegant signature wedding and portraiture work, it is the images he captures of people through  his extensive travelling across the globe  that I really love and his project work. I have found that I  am more disciplined now in my work technically which actually allows me to maximise the emotional candid moments to best effect.

Having been mentored means I've grown as a photographer, I understand the industry better, I understand myself a lot better and I’m now more aware of what my strengths are to help me define my current and future work".

Summary

So, Janice as she has pointed out spent three days with me over a period of time. What struck me about her was that she was indeed her own person, having definite ideas about how she wanted to be seen as a photographer. I immediately seized on the fact that she was one to see the moment and react to it, highly observant and although Janice wanted to do portraits, her discipline to me was always going to be defined in documentary portraiture. I did not wish to change her in any way, to do that would take away the essence of Janice, it was more to hone, guide and assist with technical issues and help her to oversee a project that is very close to her heart.

This project was dealing and living with dementia, we spoke at great lengths on this subject and how it could realise the full potential of documenting every day life in a care home.

This would test Janice and stretch her photography to levels she had not encountered previously.

 To undertake a task such as as this requires a great deal of empathy and patience with the person being placed in front of her lens, this is where Janice's training as a Physiotherapist was going to repay dividends, knowing the capabilities of frail people, when to stop, how to handle the delicate person she was dealing with, each and every time.

Another ingredient needed in a project of this magnitude in my opinion is the ability to listen to their stories, be prepared, to spend time communicating with them, taking an interest both in their past and future, finally to have a love for human beings. The initial thing that struck me about Janice was just that, she is never short of conversation and takes a real interest in what others do and say. Janice possesses all this in abundance.

Between us we came up with a concept, a project that, would prove to be truly satisfying . Not just on a personal level, but within the defining of the genre she would be submitting her work to the British Institute Of Professional Photography, in pursuit of gaining her Licentiateship qualification.

I suggested Janice should consider approaching a few care homes outlining a proposal of what she wished to achieve with their co-operation, I also suggested that she should do it while it was fresh in her mind. This is where Janice's organisational ability came into play, she was on to them the very next day, soon an appointment was made and agreement reached.

Failure to prepare, is prepare to fail as they say. This is not in Janice's DNA.
Several visits were made to the chosen care home to see what problems and hurdles she may have to overcome.

Discovering that working in areas with little room to manoeuvre, light  that was not directional, lack of light, this all helped with her preparation.

This lady was the very first person that Janice photographed, she caught her in a moment while she was in conversation with her friend, showing how comfortable they were with each others company and also with Janice taking the photographs.The second image is her friend in reply, so the narrative shows their affection for each other. The third image is of them together which makes a fine cameo of friends in a care home, enjoying their time together.

Memories

This next portrait is a lady looking back at happier times with someone she loved, no longer with her, however, the portrait she is holding brings comfort to her.

Observational skills

What makes this interesting is the lady waiting in the background, adding narrative and depth, many would wait for her to move away, not Janice, she wanted realism as she has mentioned about her work and her identity as a photographer.

In my Room

On this occasion, Janice was able to go into this ladies room and capture her within her surroundings.

I find this to be a very strong editorial portrait of an elderly lady comfortable within the confines she finds herself

Weary.

Time for Tea.

At the beginning of October 2019, Janice submitted her work for appraisal, beautifully crafted and printed photographs on fine art paper, her work was received with much acclaim, resulting in Janice Ward being awarded her Licentiateship qualification, this in itself was the goal Janice was working to, only to learn that not only had she passed, she additionally was judged to have made the best submission of 2019, this is an award that goes to the best of the best, well done young lady.

If you feel you would like to realise your dreams and become the photographer you would like to be, please contact me via email, kevin@kevinwilson.co.uk tel 07595 347814