COVID STORIES - GREENE KING COMMISSION

In the summer of 2021 I was commissioned by Greene King to shoot a series of 30 portraits around the UK.

The portraits became part of a book which tells the story of Greene King during the pandemic through the eyes of their employees. Covid had a devastating effect on the hospitality industry and there was plenty of emotion among those I met, especially as they were slowly, finally, being allowed back to work.

Whatever their personal experience, they all, without exception, were hugely praising of Greene King and the way the company had looked after them during the pandemic.

The project also felt like a kind of release from Covid for me - I was finally able to shoot portraits again, be creative and meet interesting people, which is always the best part of my job.

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One of the great things about living in Singapore is the opportunity to travel to nearby countries. When on these trips I look for people with interesting faces to photograph. Generally this means old people! Their crinkled, lined faces give wonderful depth to photographs and watery, rheumy eyes often add a sparkle to a smiling face.

I try not to rush and spend a few moments chatting to them before I take out the camera. And, if appropriate, I will always buy something from them or offer them a few dollars to say thanks.

I generally shoot these photos with a pretty shallow depth of field (somewhere between f2.8 and f4) which I hope, along with accurate focussing, draws the viewer’s attention to the subject’s eyes - the window to the soul!