Teenage Hoodie a.k.a. Number One Son

Teenage Hoodie a.k.a. Number One Son, originally uploaded by It's life Jim.....

Decided to join Lighting Essentials Project 52 to stretch myself a little (actually probably a lot). It's all Tyla's fault for suggesting it.

OK so the exercise for week 1 is to write a Mission Statement.... "Tell us with a single paragraph what you want to be able to do with your images."

No not corporate bullshit stuff, nor even what I what to achieve with my nascent portrait photography business.... after all I take many more photos for my own pleasure & learning than I do for profit (much as I wish this ratio was reversed!), but a statement about what I want my photography to achieve for me. Ideally I would want to have this ALSO be a foundation for business success, but not necessarily. I guess that is more of a chicken and egg debate i.e. learn to build a business around what my passion / vision / mission is vs learn to enjoy what I have chosen for a business.

So what do I enjoy....
- seeing how people act & think
- telling a story about people to people
- have a dialogue with people
- look at what people do or say
- telling jokes to folk
- creating a sense of awe or fascination
- learning how to get stuff done
- creating something that is both unique and innovative
- creating something I can take pride in
- I am a geek & like playing with technology

Now convert that into a mission statement !!

Um.....
Errr....

OK - Here is a first attempt. Not sure I am happy with it and it certainly does not trip off the tongue very easily. But I'll work with it over the next month or so to make it fit better.

I find people fascinating & often amusing. I create unique and different images that communicate this wonder and humour so that there is a dialogue between the observer and the images or their subject. My images will evolve over time.

And finally the image at hand..... This is Nathaniel, my number one son. I've portrayed him as a teenage hoodie here, but in actuality he just turned 20. Lighting concept for this one sort of came from this image by Lubdah.... who is even further from being a teenager to say the least.

p.s. Look at this large to see his eyes - which was more happy accident than design

Jim Shields Photography