Perran, 22.02.19

As a photographer I think it’s easy to be subconsciously lured into doing things that are easy. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, after all, we know what works right? But doing the same thing over and over doesn’t help you growth. There’s growth in trying new things, sometimes failing and sometimes achieving those things.

I made a conscious decision at the start of the year that I wanted to photograph more males in a portrait setting rather than a band setting. As I get older, I’m well aware of the connotations that come with only photographing women, and I don’t want to be seen as someone who only does portraits to get close to women because that idea couldn’t be any further from the truth.

Alongside this, anyone who has followed my work will know that despite living in Cornwall, I vary rarely photograph on its beaches or woods. So when Perran suggested we go to the beach to take some shots I approached it with trepidation, as anyone doing something they were uncomfortable would.

I’ve definitely tried to photograph in beautiful sections of Cornwall before and just found zero inspiration so this time I approached the shoot in the right way. I created a mood board, I spoke to Perran and he shared photographs of clothes he was wearing, and in many ways, despite being out of my comfort zone, I was very much in control of the shoot and the ideas.

I’m still building on my portfolio and adding variety of male faces as well as different locations but I’ll get there. With growth there’s pain, but it’s worth it.