Tom

This is Tom. Tom is one of my oldest friends. We have known each other since we were about 13 in secondary school in Cabinteely in Dublin.
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Tom #1

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Tom is taking the plunge and moving over here to England to get his new business off the ground. he came down to see us one Sunday evening a few weeks ago and I couldn't let the opportunity of taking his portrait go by.

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Tom #2

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So I set up my gear and told him to do serious, well he couldn't. Which wasn't helped by another onlooker, whom shall remain nameless... giggling and taking the proverbial. Sometime later we reached a happy medium.

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Tom #3

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And I got the shots I was looking for.

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Tom #4

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Tom was instrumental in sparking my interest in photography; he was one of the founder members of our camera club in school. I shall never remember the day when I brought in my Dad's Agfa Silette and Tom asked for a look. he took it; noticed there was some dust on the lens and went to blow on it to clean it and something else came out of his mouthand covered the lens. Quite. That being said - and I shall never let him forget it - Tom is a great friend and one that no doubt I shall have when I am seventy. Thanks Tom, for your patience, and your friendship over the years.

Noel

Project 52 ... 51

Meet Joe.
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Joe #1

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Joe is an all round great guy and a wonderful partner to Maria, lucky man...(I photographed Maria way back here...) I only know Joe through Catherine's friendship with Maria, and only for a short time, but a nicer man you couldn't meet. When I asked him if I could take his portrait, he immediately responded yes, which is always a relief! And make no mistake this is a big deal; I have been reading and commenting on many blogs about how photography opens doors to meeting different people. These people give you a glimpse into their lives; they open a part of themselves up to you, put their trust in you to deliver a photograph that will last forever and become part of their lives. No pressure.

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Joe #2

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Both Joe and Maria hail from Sicilian families that immigrated over here in the 1960's I am told. British born, they speak fluent Italian and Sicilian. They have known each other since they were teenagers. Joe is a builder so we got on really well from the start, he showed me some of his completed projects on his iphone at which point I started to get jealous...

We made these shots on a very balmy Friday night during World Cup season; Maria and joe treated us to a fantastic barbecue, Sicilian style and then at about 8:00 I set up the shots.

The first was a simple set up in the front garden with the evening sky begining to fade behind. I threw in a bit of flash with an SB800 and a shoot through umbrella to camera left. I took a low vantage point which always works great on a man; makes you look tougher- Joe looks tough anyway.

I then changed tack and shot the SB800 into a reflecting umbrella closed down to only throw light on Joe's face. At this point the ladies were chatting over a glass of wine, time to break that up! It would have been rude not to have taken a shot of Maria and Joe together, so I did.

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Joe and Maria

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We had a wonderful night chatting and taking photographs in a really relaxed way; so a BIG thank you to Joe and Maria for being great hosts and great models too! I can't wait until the next barbecue!