Karen Brooks for Harper Collins

It’s a great honour to be in somebody’s home, their place, sacred. Stories imprinted on the contents. Time is needed to tune into this. It’s my choice where to shoot, which visuals connect with the human and their story. The light, is it just right or does it need some help? The first thing some portrait subjects ask when we meet is where do you want me? I sometimes smile, pause and reply with I’m not sure, I just got here, would you mind if I look around. There was no such exchange for this shoot as author, Karen Brooks was having her makeup done and wasn’t scheduled to be photographed yet. Her husband showed me around. I chose some possibilities, some were based on how the sun engaged with the home. The scheduled shoot start time passed and the sun continued its journey to light other areas of the house. I could sense time-conscious anxiety from the other room, there were apologies but I didn’t mind. I know I have nothing to shoot until my subject is truly ready. There is no set time for readiness, it’s always different. The set was lit and Karen was at her first mark. I could see she was unsettled and cold. I suggested that she took a walk along the sunny side of the street with her husband to get her blood moving and warmed before the shoot started. She came back a new woman and settled on her mark. I checked the first photographs, I thought they were beautiful and showed her. She lit up and said these are the best photographs I’ve ever had and quickly brought her husband to the camera to see them. The shoot continued with great joy, comfort and confidence from that point. I love feeling all of these factors and guiding them to a successful place, then of course there’s the technical aspects of photography that need to be right, plus setting lighting equipment, pet wrangling and furniture and property arrangement. There’s the art, dancing with all of it.