A visit to a friend who had lived most of her life on the Isle of Man brought back old memories of the Isle of Man.
I photographed her in her tall ceiling flat with its shining white walls and wanted to compare her to the colourless tall walls, but also give the feel of the Isle of Man and of her pride in her island and her success.
The atmosphere of mist, the glow of sun and sea with large windows overlooking the sea, the presence of Manx tokens, the tartan, the Viking ship image and the sword of state (which hides in the corner) hide in the picture. I wanted her to strike a pose of happiness and pride, and she did this, with head thrown back and relaxed determined stance. I took a photograph with a painting in mind, dictating how and where I wanted to depict her.
I found it very difficult to obtain a likeness both in her facial features and in her stance but on the whole have achieved an expression of her home and her life both present and past in which the large room plays an integral part.
“Julie”
playing with creativity 