Gothic Cute

Linda is one of my faces. I photographed her over a year ago but don't recall seeing her again before today. I tried hard to remember her name but unfortunately it wouldn't come to me. It's so nice to be able to say hello in a personal way and people are always delighted to be acknowledged like that. She remembered me too and we chatted for a while. She felt compelled to apologise for her cute mouse bobble hat, it being somewhat at odds with her gothic look. I thought the counterpoint was rather striking, but she has promised to return soon in full goth attire, complete with a witches hat.

Popped into Bradford this evening for the opening of the 2014 Portrait Salon exhibition, a kind of repechage event for portraits which didn't make the cut for the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize. It was a real mixed bag, with some very special photographs indeed, but also quite a few that left me rather cold. I joined Mr. John, who had given me the nod about this opening, and our tastes seemed to coincide to quite a degree. For me, the best thing about such exhibitions is that they challenge you to think about what makes for a good portrait, and even more fundamentally, what actually constitutes a portrait in the first place. I like to see an engagement with the camera. And I like the portrait to leave me wanting to know more about the subject. My favourites were those that suggested a back story which I really wanted to hear. Some certainly did that. Others did not at all. All very fascinating.

PS And thanks so much for the approval and lovely words for yesterday's moment of light and shadow. Once again, running too late to respond as I would like to.