A.N. WILSON

A.N. Wilson is an English writer and newspaper columnist, known for his critical biographies, novels and works of popular history. I was commissioned to photograph Mr Wilson at a property in London that he and his wife had just purchased and were about to start work. The room had only a wooden table with some chairs and interesting wallpapered walls. It was pretty dark with only a couple of bulbs working on the central chandelier and the weather didn't help that it was dark and rainy. When I arrived, the interview was in mid flow and I sat down to listen in. These moments gives me a chance to see the character of the sitter and gauge the space, along with hearing about their lives. He had a copy of his favourite book with him (Paradise Lost by John Milton) and a magnifying glass as the text was very small. The day before I had contacted him and asked him to wear this green suit as I had seen it when researching about him prior to the shoot. Adjusting how you approach each subject helps to get the best out of the shoot. He was not very talkative during the shoot and I didn't want to engage with him too much and just let the shoot develop. I gave him a little bit of direction but allowed him to find his comfort in my set up of soft boxes and honeycombs. I let his dog wonder around to stand beside him for a few frames and lay his chin on his lap. It was all wrapped up after about 25 mins and was contented with the way the shoot had progressed. I edited the pictures when I returned home as I like to have the shoot fresh in my mind and I didn't need to run too much over the images. colour correction and creating a mood by adjusting the levels. The frames are full as I try to get it right when shooting. Here are seven of the frames from and edit of 37 images. Please get in touch should you need a location portrait photographer with plenty of experience and a light touch. #writer #columnist #photoshoot #portraits