World Image issue 22 July 2015

Chairmans Challenge - Henry
By Louise Bradt
In one of the three containers that brought the
rest of my brothers belongings was a full
lighting set up. So now, I am giving it my all
and plan to give up work at the end of the
summer and work full time as a photographer.
The other reason this image is so special to me
is that I submitted it for review and critique to
Timothy Sutherlannd, who studied with Ansel
Adams back in the 70's. I was expecting some
valuable feedback from him but was completely
gobsmacked when I received his critique which
said at the top
"I couldn't have done any better and applaud
you for such a beautiful portrait that you and
your son will cherish for years to come. Please
print and frame this one."
This is a photo of my son Henry during
Christmas 2014. This photo is important to me
for many reasons:- obviously there is a special
connection because it is a photo of my child.
Then there is the fact that the photo was taken
with a lens that was left to me by Ken, my
brother in law who passed away suddenly at the
beginning of December in Chiang Mai, where
he had only recently moved to.
He was a huge advocate of my photography and
was ever trying to push me to do more and to
try and build my self confidence, because many
people have taken a dislike to my style of
portraiture in the past and told me over and
over again that unless I conform to what I call
"cutesie" shots I was never going to make it!
Ken left very clear instruction that all of his
camera gear was to come to me if and when he
passed away, and so when my husband returned
from Thailand he brought with him, 3 lenses,
70-200mm 2.8, 24-70mm 2.8 & 24mm 1.4, and
a Pro-foto D1 strobe.
He then proceeded to give me 10/10 for every
aspect of this shot. It was as if all the criticism I
had taken previously just melted into
insignificance, and my self-esteem took a giant
leap forward and I have not looked back since.
A few weeks later, I received an email from a
gentleman I did not know but who knew
Timothy Sutherlannd, and he said that he hoped
he had found the right Lou Bradt, because
never before had he seen Tim give such an
outstanding review of anyone’s work, and he
hoped I continued to work hard at my craft!
Again I was totally gob-smacked!
I am far from perfect in what I do. Photography
is an ever evolving craft and passion and to
assume you have learned all there is to learn is
arrogant and in my opinion plain stupid.
However, you cannot escape the feeling of
pride you get when someone looks at a piece of
your work and can see your passion and love,
and this is why this image is so hugely
important to me.
All the Best
Louise Bradt
Website = photosociety.net Page 17 email = magazine@photosociety.net