Juliet Wood
To make portraits you’ve got to have a strong sense of curiosity. I need to get to know my subject and then plan a pose from which to develop a composition. We choose clothes together and I photograph different positions in relation to the light source. My main aim is to convey character and create a composition. I need an idea, even though this starting point often changes along the way.
Although response to individuality, gesture and expression arise directly from the sitter, a portrait is a painting like any other, made of an abstract balance of shape, form and colour. It’s not just a matter of where you place the figure on the canvas. Every part of the rectangle is important to the composition so I choose the canvas size and proportion with that in mind.