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Tracy:
Making and maintaining friendships is not something I find easy. I met Tracy on the 'school run' with the commonality of children the same age we shared anecdotes about our morning dash and the struggles of our childrens' homework. l was lucky enough to discover the humour and kindness of a fellow mother who was unperturbed by my quiet awkwardness. Unexpectedly, on her wedding day last year, Tracy was taken ill only to discover that she had developed lung cancer. Enough to break any family, I have seen this wonderful woman plan, support and organise her family in preparation for the two major operations she went on to have, in an attempt to keep life as normal as possible. I have witnessed family and friends then rally around to care for and support her in the aftermath while she struggled to keep her head above water. From the outside, I observed Tracy emerge from this trauma with incredible strength, dignity and positivity. When she asked me to photograph her scars as part of her journey, I accepted without hesitation. A scar is a mark on the skin which is left after a wound has healed. It is a symbol of strength, courage and fragility. A lasting reminder of what has been endured to hold onto the precious things that life has to offer. To take an image of this scar, I feel, is to capture a tiny piece of Tracy's story which I too can hold on to. To me, such images have the power to become building blocks in my own life. Saddening, humbling, informative, uplifting they offer opportunities for self-reflection and self-development which I hope continue to make me a better person.
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Jacqui was the winning bidder on my Leigh Art Trail Secret auction commission and she was keen to have a portrait which evoked the work she had viewed in the trail. When discussing the brief for the piece I was very excited that Jacqui was keen to have a figurative image which expressed her as a mother. This was a huge decision for her to make; as I am sure is the same for most of us, to put ourselves in such a vulnerable situation with our body on display is a very frightening prospect. We often talk about the force fed images of perfection in the media but there are certain inevitabilities of pregnancy and childbirth which are a part of our physical history and should be celebrated. As a mother of three boys, the youngest being 18 months old, Jacqui looks incredible. She wanted to celebrate the fact that her body has facilitated her beautiful family which I find both heartening and empowering. We discussed how we could capture this in a way that Jacqui felt comfortable and which was not graphic. Just a simple, beautiful image which could be combined with some of her favourite flowers. In a short and private session we were able to achieve exactly this I am so very pleased that Jacqui feels happy for me to share one of these images. 'After chatting with Nicola, it soon became clear that I wanted something that celebrated my body and the changes to it since becoming a mum...
I loved the idea of it but when it came to the 'sitting' I was a little bit terrified... However, Nicola was very patient and kind; she listened to me, reassured me and gave me time... she [then] guided me gently into poses I felt comfortable with... I am so pleased with the final images that she has created. I feel like she listened and understood what it was that I wanted and created pictures that expressed it beautifully.' Jacqui.
My initial workings for her portrait were based on research about her name and on the basic things she had told me about herself via our correspondence. I was able to listen to the music she produces before we met which I felt was a great insight into her artistic soul. When I met Raven, she had great depth of character and it was a pleasure learning about her life, her passions and her values. Whilst we chatted I took some natural photographs and set up a few poses. I then took some long exposure shots to capture some movement and texture. The session was relaxed, fun and very informal - a real pleasure. I then set about choosing images and piecing them together to form a representation of Raven as I had interpreted her. I created quite a few drafts over a week and then left these for a few days. On returning to work on them, I scrutinised each draft and gathered my favourite elements together to create the final image... |
CapturingEvie
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