Staring Back
There are few better ways to spend a sunny afternoon than sitting in the garden with a background of birdsong and a brand new book compiled by a blogging chum.
Some time ago Kim Ayres http://kimayres.blogspot.com/ discovered a passion for photography He took some great landscapes (my favourite is Low Winter Sun at Rascarrel Bay see
Kim’s enthusiasm is infectious and before long he was invited to display his work at the Mill on the Fleet in Gatehouse of Fleet in
There are 24 portraits with an introduction to each of the sitters and accompanying photos of each one when they are not ’staring back’. Kim explores ‘what happens when the face we are so intimately viewing stares, unapologetically, right back at us.’ The portraits are arresting and it is a fascinating experience to examine the varying faces.
It’s all based on trust between model and photographer and there would be none of:
‘This is my best side.’
‘I’ll just take my glasses off.’
‘Could you just soften my frown lines?’
It’s great credit to Kim that they put themselves in his hands and the results are mesmerising. It’s a slim elegant volume that deserves better than to be thrust on some dusty bookshelf - the perfect book to have lying around so that people can browse through it at will. One in every room would be nice.
‘You’ve got interesting looking friends.’ I observed.
‘I am a firm believer that everyone is interesting looking; it's just that most of the time we don't look in the right way. As I mention in the book, I love faces. I'm yet to find a face that I wouldn't enjoy photographing :)’
Below are some random photos from the book. For more details go to
http://kimayres.blogspot.com/ or click on Kim on side bar. Scroll down to 2nd May for The Exhibition Launch and the Book.
