Tom had booked me directly and was one of my private commissions. Tom was a complete beginner when we met for the first time and resembled the actor Willem Dafoe, previously only working with a friend on some test pictures, also creating a few monologue videos for his book. His commitment to his art was admirable, and he knew it was best to go directly to me rather than through an agency at some stage as I would not have spent the day with him.

All of these images in this sequence were taken in one session of 5 hours. I pushed Tom to break his anxious confines and crafted his shots one by one intensely focussing in on him and his insecurities. I love the one on one and how he transformed from the shy and anxious subject to the confident and world acting talent.