Now that Faces of Friendship: Part II is over I want to shed some light on my favourite photographs from this series and explain how they came about and why, from the hundreds I shot, they stood out to me.
I'm going to kick off this series of posts with Helen.
After the editing was complete I faced the task of whittling down hundreds of images to just three and from that picking my favourite to print for the exhibition. Inevitably what followed was weeks of head scratching. It's a difficult decision at the best of times but coupled with my generally indecisive nature it turned into many predictable eleventh hour changes of heart.
But Helen's photo was a welcome exception. I knew immediately when I saw this shot that it would be 'the one'.
Everyone who knows Helen will testify to how easy going and approachable she is. That brings a certain amount of confidence in front of the camera but, as she would later admit, she was prone to moments where she would mask awkwardness and insecurity with laughter.
I consider this portrait to be a balance of both sides. Helen's warm nature is captured with her smile while the hand partially covering her face hints at some of that awkwardness. Add the touch of the rings on her fingers revealing a little about her personal style and the end result is as accurate a depiction of her character as I could have wished.
