If you look at my previous photo in my photostream you will see Sonia sat outside Rough Trade records in Nottingham. I’d asked her if I could take her photo to give the beautiful Victorian building some scale and interest.
Anyway the candid photo turned into a photoshoot for my strangers project.
When I started chatting to Sonia and she agreed to be part of my strangers project, I asked her if she would walk with me to the doorway / entrance to the Hockley Arts Club as it was a gritty, urban entrance and a great backdrop and seemed apt for Sonia and her partner (who had now appeared on the scene) given the T-shirts they were wearing.
Sonia and Red are from Lincolnshire and were visiting Nottingham to attend the open air weekend concerts at Nottingham Arboretum (a beautiful Victorian municipal park). They had stayed at a local Premiere Inn Hotel and were off to see Justin Sullivan the lead singer of New Model Army at the Arboretum on Sunday afternoon. Both Red and Sonia were big fans of Justin and the New Model Army. The weekends concerts were the first gigs they had been to since we went into lockdown in March 2020.
I’ve posted the images of Sonia and Red in mono as I feel it suits the location and both Sonia and Red. “Why the name Red?” I hear you ask. I asked the same question and Red told me he had been called that name for many years, because he used to have bright red hair !
Thanks for taking part in my Strangers project Sonia and Red, it was nice to meet you.
I’ve sent some images to Sonia and she said they were amazing.
Oh and a little footnote, prior to Covid the Arboretum hosted lots of free summer public events in the park, Brass Bands, Mela, The Green Festival, Pagan Festival. Those events aren’t taking place and the city council are letting a company hold concerts throughout the summer weekends, paid for events in a gated arena. Just saying, draw your own conclusions.
I've been in the Hockley Arts Club, one of my friends Mellonie has a Reggae band and they played there in October 2019 as part of the Hockley Hustle festival.
Great portrait Phil. You have mastered portrait photography really well. Red has an easygoing pose while Sonia shows a lovely smile. I like how the print on Red's T-shirt gives the impression that Sonia and Red are holding hands.
