My first portfolio

These photographs are some of my favourites from the last few years.  They have had very little, if any alteration - as you can probably tell - mainly because I wouldn't know where to begin - so they are as they were taken.  I like each image because for some reason it catches my interest makes me want to look at it time and again.

Portraits:

Shy Boy

I like that this is a side profile, a little soft around the edges bringing out the soft lines of his face and focusing on his long eyelashes.  He's grown up a bit now and lost some of that softness of a young face but this photograph always reminds me of that shy young lad he once was.

Cultural indifference

This was taken on a bus ride through Cuba - I do tend to like photos that have a lot of contrasts in shade and light.  James seems to be wrapped in his own ipod world indifferent to the beautiful and surreal surroundings.

Poser

Even though she professes not to like having her photo taken Emma always manages to pose for the camera somehow - I love how the light has brightened her face and her hair has framed her mouth and chin to bring the focus on her face and away from the background.

Visit to the Zoo

Not a member of the family this time but I like the texture of the animals skin -  this picture makes me think you could reach out and stroke the giraffe.  

Landscapes & Objects

Sea Urchin

I just managed to capture the sea as it broke around this urchin (at least that's what I think it is) - my only wish is that I could figure out how to photoshop out the random leaf.

Reflections

With this image I was drawn to the perfect reflection of the bridges in the canal, and the fact that the bridge was segmented allowing light in between the sections - not quite sure I got the dimensions of the photo right though.

Sunset

Another photograph that captures my interest in distinct shades of light and dark.  Capturing this scene at this time of day gives the entrance to the fishing village a beauty that isn't available in the stark light of day when the mud and disrepair of the boats is visible and the sea grey and uninviting.

 

Barrels

I liked the sweeping curve of these barrels in the distillery, the universal look of them - and the sheer amount of them as they disappeared into the darkness.

At sea

This boat looks so stark against the vast empty sea.  I was pleased that I was just able to capture the silhouette of the people on board giving a sense of activity to a scene that was quiet.

Eating out on the canal

We took a two week boating holiday through the south of France with friends a couple of years ago.  It was like stepping back in time, the villages so quiet and empty with little of the trappings of a modern town - the only clue that there were people and businesses around would be the random signs leading to you what could easily have been passed by as someones house.

North Down Burrows

An amazing beach that went of for miles, accentuated by the enormous distance of the tidal flow.  I love the fact that I caught James in the near right hand corner as this adds to the sense I was trying to give of the expanse before us.

Pipe

This pipe caught my eye on the beach - mainly because I couldn't figure out why it was there or what its purpose had been - mostly likely a storm drain or sewage pipe - but I liked how it made me wander - I really wanted to give a sense of looking down it to the sea, I didn't quite get the perspective right but I still enjoy looking at this piece of decaying, rusting pipe against the more natural beauty of the sea washed stone.