Behind The shot With Colin Cunningham
One photographer. One image. The story behind the shot.
I don't usually take portraits. In all the time I've been practicing photography, I've only ever made a handful. But in February of this year, a creative spark and a pair of overlapping photo challenges brought my late brother-in-law, John, in front of my lens.
It was Week 5 of the Alphabet Challenge run by Sheena on BlueSky, where the prompt was "Eponymous." Concurrently, my friend Jeff in Canada and I run the Alphabet Tech Photo Challenge, and our prompt for the week was "Portrait." I had a specific idea in mind. I asked John if I could take his portrait wearing a cardigan, playing on the eponymous link to Lord Cardigan, though I jokingly confused him with the inventor of the sandwich at the time.
We set up at the dark oak dining room table. I was shooting with a Lumix GX9 and a Panasonic Leica 25mm f/1.4 lens, using the natural light flooding in through a window to John's left. Because John had been through a period of ill health, I didn't want to tire or upset him. The entire session was incredibly brief. I only took about four images in total, experimenting with eye level and lower angles. While I asked him to lean on the table, the way he clasped his hands in the foreground was entirely his own doing.
But it's his expression that makes the photograph for me. That gentle, subtle smirk is classic John. He had a wonderfully mischievous nature and always loved a good laugh. To capture a rare portrait that so perfectly conveyed his true essence, on a technical and personal level, was incredibly rewarding.
At the time, John had fought his way back to a healthy weight. Tragically, shortly after this image was captured, he began to decline and passed away at the beginning of this month. Because of that, an image that was already a personal favorite has taken on a profound new significance.
When people look at this portrait, I hope they don't just see a photograph. I hope they feel the warmth, resilience, and quiet wit of a man who, even in the face of hardship, never lost his spark. It stands as a lasting testament to who he truly was.
You can follow Colins work on foto @clcart or on his website www.clcart.co.uk
