THE PORTRAIT

In fusty, weighty albums complete with clasps there are copious small black-and-white photographs documenting the life of one set of my grandparents and my father’s childhood – from studio portraits to snaps taken anywhere and everywhere, from the seaside to back gardens.
 
Fast forward to the sixties and Kodak’s Instamatic introduced a whole generation to low-cost photography.  I have boxes of colour prints and slides capturing the springtime of my life. Who also remembers the photo booths in Woolworths?
 
Fast forward again to the time when I have a family and all the images are of my own children, holidays and seascapes. Some make the longevity of albums, others are casually posted on Facebook or Instagram. But wherever they find their home, there are no shots of me.  I am the one pointing or shy of the camera. I also don’t do selfies. Loathe them.
 
Fast forward to a year ago. A health scare prompted me to consider commissioning a portrait. I wanted my two boys to have a keepsake image of me and to see their mother as an individual. Enter Kristin Perers an American creative in London with two sons. Her former roles as a fashion designer and interior stylist, coupled with her experience as a painter are all now channelled into her work as a captivating and charming photographer.
 
We spent a joyful afternoon in the comfort of the Bennison Fabrics showroom.  These aren’t fleeting youthful shots but unphotoshopped images with the depth that age and experience bring. 
 
I hope my boys are proud. I am.
 
Thank you, Kristin. 

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