Triptych

Definition of triptych in English:

triptych

Line breaks: trip|tych

Pronunciation: /ˈtrɪptɪk/

NOUN

• 1A picture or relief carving on three panels, typically hinged together vertically and used as an altarpiece:a triptych depicting the Crucifixion
  

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• 1.1A set of three associated artistic, literary, or musical works intended to be appreciated together:a triptych on the theme of the holocausthis triptych of one-act operas is unfairly neglected
  

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Origin

mid 18th century (denoting a set of three writing tablets hinged or tied together): from tri- 'three', on the pattern of diptych.

Yesterday, late in the afternoon on another ridiculously lovely april day, I had a shoot with Grace and Gordon. They really did look as pretty as a picture before we even began so it didn't take much skill on my part to make these photos gorgeous! 

We wandered around Stockbridge and Inverleith park and I have to admit, although I live quite close, I was totally unaware of the amazing views of Edinburgh from this part of the city. Luckily Grace and Gordon knew some of these special spots so my job was half done!

With these shots I wanted to create a bit of a narrative, a kind of mini series of little love stories. Obviously I was trying to be careful not to be too cheesy but they are in love and you can't deny a good love story!! It's something a bit different for me but I thought this 'Triptych' style really suited the photos… 

…oh, and one random one cos I like it too much to miss it out!

Water of Leith

“The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley.” 
― Robert Burns

I've recently moved up to Edinburgh. My plan was to arrive, settle in quickly, get to know the city a bit and then get stuck in with my photography. Unfortunately life kind of got in the way and I'm ashamed to admit that until now I haven't taken my camera out. It's been sitting in a corner of my sitting room looking at me, guilt tripping me and I finally broke… definitely time to establish myself up here and get on with some work!! 

So, first thing's first - locations. I've obviously been sussing out the areas of the city that I would like to photograph, spotting the streets that would provide beautiful backdrops and picturing lots of future portrait shoots whenever I wander around the city. I decided to take my slightly reluctant partner out to one location for a little recce and a mini photo shoot to get the feel of the area… he may not love getting his photo taken but he does look rather handsome (I might be biased!).

I've got a couple of shoots lined up for this week so I'm looking forward to trying out some new locations and getting to know Edinburgh through the lens a little better. These shots are from our walk along the Water of Leith and the stunning Dean Park in the centre of Edinburgh.

Concept...

A palimpsest (/ˈpælɪmpsɛst/) is a manuscript page from a scroll or book from which the text has been scraped or washed off and which can be used again. The word "palimpsest" comes from Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (palímpsestos, “scratched or scraped again”).

I am trying to really think about the concepts behind the photo shoots, sets and series I am doing at the moment. 

Over the last year I have mainly just taken one-off portraits of the people around me, catching a moment or trying to capture an essence of a person in one image. I want to get away from this and really spend time planning or at least have an idea of what I am aiming for before snapping away. Not necessarily a really complicated concept, just more thought than your average point and click, pretty pics. With this in mind my most recent shoot with Eftychios, a greek architect student, was inspired by his thesis; the idea of 'Palimpsests'.

Eftychios is exploring the idea of palimpsests within the context of architectural interventions in order to rehabilitate and restore abandoned or ruined structures. 

In the 19th century 'Muralla Nazari', the wall that surrounds Granada, was partially ruined by an earthquake. Antonio Jimenez Torrecillas proposed a visual re-write of this ancient landmark and so a new, modern design was added to the existing wall. This is a perfect example of a palimpsest. Through writing his thesis, the Muralla Nazari has begun to mean something more to Eftychios; a connection that I wanted to develop.

With this set of photographs I was hoping to do exactly that; portraits of Eftychios with the Muralla Nazari. 'Palimpsest' being my inspiration. I wanted to take his idea and use it within the context of photography... the new narrative over the old.

I have uploaded the whole set here, so please take a peek, but my favourites...

Behind the scenes...

Asked what he would tell young people thinking of a career in photography, Clark was emphatic. "Don't do it," he said. But as his face broke into a grin, he added, "Don't do it unless you want to work harder than you have in your life, and have more fun than you could imagine." - Ed Clark

Been working hard this weekend! I've been continuing with my 'Home away from Home' series but I took a break yesterday and went for a wander in the woodlands… I've actually had this little project in mind for a while and my two lovely ladies helped me achieve it! The idea was to take your typical beauty/fashion shots and instead of advertising jewellery or clothes i wanted to just use plants and nature, instead of using models i wanted to use my beautiful friends and i loved the idea of a natural light, woodland shoot. We had a lovely day's shoot, a lot of fun! For something different I thought I would post the 'behind the scenes' shots!

Obviously there are real photos too so if you'd like to see the actual portraits we took have a peak here! 

My mum, Brigit Anne...

I used to think that any old Tom, Dick or Harry could take a decent photograph until I first stopped using the fully automatic button on my 'Canon D...s...5...something or other'. - Brigit Strawbridge

It was mother's day today. For her present I wanted to take some portraits of my mum. Together we chose places that she felt at home and places that were particularly relevant or significant to who she is... outside with nature, home by a cosy fire or at her favourite cafe drinking a soya milk, half shot cappuccino! As with all portraits, the arty part of me also wanted to see if I could capture certain parts of her personality through the lens. After all, if I can't capture an essence of my own mum in a photo I probably should be looking at a different career! 

On a practical level it is definitely easier to do a photo shoot with a family member as you can boss them around and be pretty blunt about what you are trying to achieve with each shot. You can fumble, change your mind and generally be a little more unprofessional ;-) Unfortunately, there are some harder things to consider when photographing people close to you because you desperately want them to approve of the portraits... even more than usual (especially if it's a gift on mother's day!) Luckily, my mum is happy with these and has very kindly let me share them on here.

I had a lovely day and I hope my mum did too. She was an amazing model; patient and creative, and I think the end results are really beautiful.

As always I am proud to show off my mum... isn't she gorgeous!!!

A little adventure to Monachil...

I wish more people felt that photography was an adventure the same as life itself and felt that their individual feelings were worth expressing. To me, that makes photography more exciting. - Harry Callahan