mel & jules

There are several reasons why I think this photo is pretty special. For one, Mel is a great friend of mine, and she herself is pretty special. Also, I took this on her birthday, and isn't it always nice to have a visual memento of such an occasion?

While Jules isn't a great friend of mine (at this point) because I have only recently met him, I already like him very much. He is not only a friendly, funny person, but he adores Mel (very important) and from all accounts he makes her happy (very very important). Both of these things come through in the image - in their body language (facing each other and Jules embracing her) and in Mel's gorgeous, genuine smile.

Moving away from sentimentality, the portrait is also successful (or at least interesting) because of its layers. Obviously the yellow is the primary image, but the other two layers, though more difficult to find, add visual (and sentimental) interest to the image. The blue layer, which is the easiest of the two to see, shows the two of them interacting with someone else (by the look of it) - it is a candid, casual, social shot. Once you've focused on the blue image, it's really difficult to see the red one - it must be some kind of optics thing that I have no idea how to explain. But then all of a sudden it appears to you, and you realise you're seeing Mel about to kiss Jules. It's so subtle - a private moment that I really didn't have any right to capture - but its lovely intimacy is a really special element to the overall portrait.

So cheers to Mel and Jules - the kind of couple that it's genuinely heartwarming to witness.