Explore the Obsessions Portrait Photography Gallery
An experiment in portrait photography
Obsessions began as another opportunity to play, experiment and stretch my photography. I wanted to explore what happens when a portrait isn’t simply about how someone looks, but about what makes them come alive — the things they love, the interests that absorb them and the passions that make them who they are. The people involved were friends, friends of friends and people who responded to my invitations on Facebook, and I photographed them in locations around Dorset. For me, it was a chance to practise new approaches to portrait photography, gain experience and exposure, and create images that were different from the more conventional portraits of children and families I was used to making.
Photographing people doing what they love
The idea behind Obsessions was simple: find out what really matters to someone and build the portrait around it. That might be a hobby, a creative pursuit, a fascination or something they simply couldn’t imagine their life without. Rather than asking people to stand in front of a camera and simply smile, I wanted to give them something to talk about, demonstrate or become absorbed in. The result was a series of environmental portraits that connected the person with their interests and gave me plenty of opportunities to experiment with light, composition, location and storytelling. Looking back, it was as much a learning project for me as it was a portrait series.
From Dorset to the Red House Museum
The project eventually grew into an exhibition, with the photographs displayed for several weeks at Christchurch’s Red House Museum. Seeing the work together as a series, rather than as individual photographs scattered across a hard drive, gave Obsessions a completely different sense of identity. Each portrait was about a different person and a different passion, but together they became a celebration of curiosity, individuality and the things that make us feel most ourselves. It’s also a good reminder of why I enjoy personal portrait photography: sometimes the most interesting thing about photographing someone isn’t simply how they look, but discovering what makes them light up.
What makes you come alive?
Perhaps there’s something (or someone) that makes you light up in the same way — a passion, a place, a person, a hobby or simply a part of who you are that deserves to be celebrated. Personal portrait photography doesn’t have to be about standing in front of a studio backdrop and looking at the camera; it can be about creating photographs that tell something of your story and the things that make you, you. If you’d like to explore an idea for your own portrait session in Dorset, Hampshire, the New Forest or beyond, I’d love to hear what you have in mind and see where we can take it together.
