Roddy Doyle

Roddy Doyle the writer, very kindly agreed to come in to the studio to let me photograph him. I had about 45 minutes and we tried several different lighting set ups. I think one of the keys to a successful portrait is to try and relax as much as possible, both the subject and the photographer. Most people have a dread of being photographed and before the shoot often compare it to a trip to the dentist, but usually by the end, they seem to have enjoyed the experience.
Even though I am sure he has been photographed thousands of times, Roddy was no different. We had a great chat about schooldays and some of the mad teachers we had (he used to be a teacher) and we both relaxed fairly quickly.
These are a couple of my favorite images from the shoot. The second one was literally the last shot of the session. He put on his manbag to leave and I called him back to take a shot with it on as I think it looks really cool. I had been toying with the idea of buying a manbag myself for a while and went out and bought one after the shoot.

He invited me round to his house for a cup of tea and to show him the results of the shoot. He seemed very happy with them and gave me a signed proof copy of Click, a collection of short stories about a photographer. What a lovely guy.