Some time ago at my old workplace, I made a habit of taking film photographs of work colleagues.

These snaps found their way to the dark room, where I made prints, the best of which I would give to the colleague as a thank you for letting me photograph them.

After taking his photo at work, I asked my then-colleague Alistair, who is now an actor and educator, to work with me on a portrait session. Since we lived in the same area, we agreed to do the portrait session at my flat.

Relishing the opportunity to really spend time on a portrait session, I tried a number of set-ups, with Alistair sitting, standing and at one point singing around my flat, but in the end I found the most interesting place to shoot was outside in the summer light.

I loved the way the natural light caught the details on Alistair’s face and in his eyes. Making prints afterwards, I spent time on tones and highlights, dodging and burning until I got the representation I was after.

Later I saw a headshot Alistair had made for his acting work by another photographer. The quality was stunning and I was inspired by it. I was determined to take more portraits to get to that standard.