When my sister, Sharon Brisley-Moore, asked me to photograph her portrait
for her debut book, of course I said yes. Although photographing a close
family member can be less formal than photographing a stranger who I haven't
grown up with and know well, in this case I still needed to approach the
task with a professional mindset.
An author photo is a very specific type of portrait. It sends a message
about the writer to their readership and so it should align with the type
of book the author writes. Sharon's book, Over Catastrophising Daily,
is about how she has lived all her adult life with obsessive compulsive
disorder and high functioning anxiety. I felt the portrait therefore needed
to be more considered than an informal family snapshot.
Over Catastrophising Daily is an important book that will help a lot of
people. As the back cover says, "Sharon welcomes you into her world
to discuss how she manages her symptoms, the effects of healing and her
current positive trajectory. With poignancy and wit, she offers anecdotes,
candid family interviews and handy hints."
I felt the portrait needed to be one that encompassed those things, showing
the warm, open, welcoming, friendly and happy personality I knew, without
losing a sense of her life experience. I wanted to show something of the
confidence her journey has given her, but also a hint of the issues she
deals with daily.
I knew the images needed to be natural, as authenticity and reader trust
in her experience is absolutely key. A studio shoot, or artificial lighting
would have created a different, constructed, artificial feel that was
not wanted.
I decided to photograph her in a doorway as I could see a metaphorical
significance, and posed her using the door (or her hat) as a shield, again
for the metaphor.
The first image at the top of this page is the main image used in the
book and across promotional materials. In this photograph, Sharon has
a more open pose, but I still think her fingers indicate a slight unease,
masked by her beaming smile. I think its a portrait that says much more
than first meets the eye.
The book can be bought directly from Sharon via her website,
where she can also be contacted about book parties and potential collaborations.
(Published 14/06/2025)
© GREIG CLIFFORD.
ALL IMAGES ARE SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT LAWS.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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