Before the Veil 

Two lights, a backdrop, and a chair found on a rubbish dump.

 

These were all I wanted to use to capture my subjects under unforgiving lighting. 

 

The common thread throughout though, is that a veil gets pulled up when people sit for portraits. The fake smile appears and sometimes, the selfie head tilt. I wanted to get the image before the real person disappeared and  ‘pose mode’ appeared. 

 

We all have a veil, and most of us dislike seeing pictures of ourselves, especially when we are not in control of the process, and even less so when the portrait is raw and unforgiving, showing every blemish and imperfection.

 

Caught unaware, each face shows the real person whether laughing, frowning or just feeling taken aback by my instruction. 

 

They told me stories and anecdotes that were difficult to get out at times. Their comments tell a story that is shared in this book.