Image is everything…

Image of Kathryn Clarke, Image Consultant in her studio in Spennymoor, Co. Durham.

Today I have been photographing Kathryn Clarke, an image consultant based in Spennymoor, Co. Durham, producing some profile shots for her website, social media accounts and for a forthcoming piece about her in North East Life Magazine. Rather than just producing a straight-ahead headshot, Kathryn wanted to create something that not only captured who she was, but what she does, where and how; an image with a story, not just a “this is what I look like” image.

One of the really interesting parts of being a photographer is sticking your nose into other people’s lives, finding about what they do. Every photographer is a voyeur in some sense, so it was interesting to learn about somebody else’s job, see their studio and learn about another aspect of life. Hence the first part of any assignment like this always involved a cup of tea and a chat, lots of questions, and in this case some delicious biscuits from Marks and Spencer.

Having got a sense of what Kathryn’s job is really about, we were able to put together some shots that bring together those elements to create a whole. I am firm believer that a good portrait is the result of a collaboration between photographer and sitter and I think this experience reinforces that opinion. I look forward to seeing the results in print, which is one of my favourite parts of the job; seeign things online, but there’s no substitute for holding something in your hand and being able to show it your mum.