R.I.P Paul

[Black_Square]

The first time I met Paul was about one year ago. I was in a ceramic shop in Bristol. He stomped into the shop with a smashed up guitar, approached the elderly shop keeper and gave a her a stolen packet of Christmas cards as a gift. He then stomped out. A whirlwind of chaos.

Paul was living rough, and got through the days on a heady mix of alcohol and drugs, peppered with a sporadic hand out of food from the soup kitchen or generous passer by - myself included. When he wasn't high he was low, very low, but they were the only times you could really connect with him on any real level. It was during these times that he would let me take his photo. He wanted to see with some sense of sobriety what toll his life was taking on him.

I always thought that Paul was trapped in some twisted bacchanalia induced hell and that is what I wanted to capture.

Last week I read in the paper that Paul was found dead after overdosing on Spice, a syntehtic cannabinoid that is rife in UK cities.

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

Wow. There is a lot of scary stuff going on behind those eyes.

 

[zombiesniper]

It's a great image.

To bad someone has to go through these things. Should be legal to shoot a drug dealer on sight.

 

[Designer]

I always thought that Paul was trapped in some twisted bacchanalia induced hell and that is what I wanted to capture.

You did, but I think the floating head placed far above the lower edge of the frame is just weird. I think it would be better in a more balanced composition. Either that or show some of his torso.

 

[Gary A.]

I have been very impressed by your ability to capture the emotion and life of the down-and-out. This is no different, well-done ... there are life stories and lessons in each and every image.

 

[jcdeboever]

Another fantastic image. I like that you interact with your models. To me, this shows in your render.

The float adds dimension and drama. I wouldn't change a thing. When I look at something that's different, I ask myself, does it add anything? This does, excellent execution.

 

[Black_Square]

Wow. There is a lot of scary stuff going on behind those eyes.

Thanks Dean. Paul was in a very dark place and I do think that shows in his eyes.

It's a great image.

To bad someone has to go through these things. Should be legal to shoot a drug dealer on sight.

Life can be pretty tough.

I always thought that Paul was trapped in some twisted bacchanalia induced hell and that is what I wanted to capture.

You did, but I think the floating head placed far above the lower edge of the frame is just weird. I think it would be better in a more balanced composition. Either that or show some of his torso.

Thank you

I have been very impressed by your ability to capture the emotion and life of the down-and-out. This is no different, well-done ... there are life stories and lessons in each and every image.

Thanks Gary.

Another fantastic image. I like that you interact with your models. To me, this shows in your render.

The float adds dimension and drama. I wouldn't change a thing. When I look at something that's different, I ask myself, does it add anything? This does, excellent execution.

That is exactly what I was going for. Reassuring to see that someone is on my wavelength.

 

[birdbonkers84]

This is great, his face definitely tells a story, have you looked at in in B&W?

 

[Black_Square]

This is great, his face definitely tells a story, have you looked at in in B&W?

Thanks for the comment. Yes, I did a mono conversion, which i actually prefer. I've added it to the original post