I initially proposed documenting the artists at work, at home and in their favorite places. That immediately seemed to resonate with them so locations were agreed. 

On location I followed their suggestions about settings that mattered to them and photographed them anywhere they brought me to. I was aware that I was dependent on the lenses I carried and an on-camera flash. Therefore I followed with interest, and sometimes trepidation, as they chose the interior of dark city buildings, small kitchens, low-lit pubs and mountain roads on bright sunny days. It was something of a challenge and I was aware of, and willing, to read these situations ‘unseen’ as checking out locations beforehand was not always possible. So the locations, lighting and variety in these photographs is as it happened and reflects an adventurous journey made together out on location.

The other consideration, while doing the shoots, was that this was time given to me by these women and I guessed, as older women like myself, they would not be up for a photoshoot that lasted half a day and asked a lot of them in terms of posing, handling props and being asked to pose in different ways.  

I was aware of, and complimented by, the artist’s willingness to introduce me to the heart of their homes. They helped in brokering access with venue owners, and their local knowledge of landscapes brought me to side gates into what looked like inaccessible places. Finally there was an unspoken agreement between me and them that my photographs were storytelling and they would lead the narrative. It was my job to follow and record what they were telling me.      

We talked as we went along, sometimes navigating the weather and stopping to engage warmly with the folk they knew and encountered along the way. It has been a pleasure to do this work, not least because of the conversations and laughter we shared and the friendships I made. I look forward to adding other older women artists to this project.