I perceived the smile on Rob’s face as he walked in the room where the shoot was to take place, as a welcoming and ‘pleased to see you’ smile. We’ve worked together on 4 different occasions now and we have always got on. The thing with being a photographer is that it’s easy to get on before publication, but if the sitter doesn’t like what’s in print then the dynamics may change on the second shoot and trust may be lost. It is therefore I always look for tell tell signs as we meet for a second, third, fourth or fifth time. I got the distinct feeling that I was safe. Rob would not turn and walk out from disappointment of the previous shoot results. In fact, it only took a few minutes before he complimented me on the images from the previous shoot.
When we met Rob had one last performance of his 2 month run of the farce Painkillers. I expected a run down and exhausted Rob, but he was in top form. Filled with energy and quick witted comments. It was in fact the best I have seen him. More confident and more relaxed. Rob has performed in some of Britain’s best sitcoms in the last 10 years, he has presented panel shows, done voice overs, live shows and theatre. This is a man who can truly tackle all aspects of the world of entertainment and be much loved for his contributions. I look forward to the next time we stand face to face, to see what he will think of this set of images. Or do I?
