Meet Johnathan (yes, I did spell that correctly..) He is from Stoke. He is 30 years old & he just has lost 10 stone 4 pounds. His story is quite remarkable. When he contacted me & told me about the incredible journey he is on, I couldn’t wait to meet & photograph him.
Having being bullied as a child for being overweight, it was something that had been with him from an early age. I hate bullies, I was bullied myself as a kid so I totally understood the impact this has on your emotional & physical well being. Johnathan suffers from osteoarthritis & last year he was told by doctors that he HAD to lose weight. A LOT of weight. He was 24 stone & this had to change. He was then put forward for a gastric bypass but firstly, he had to try & lose weight by himself. Through a liquid diet (no, I don’t mean alcohol I mean soups, milk & slimfast. In December. EEK!) & exercise he lost 4 & half stone in 3 months. Then March this year came the operation. Today, Johnathan really is half the man he used to be. He has gone from a 46 inch waist to a 34 inch waist, which is WOWZA & wanted a set of portraits that reflected his new self. What a transformation. What a truly inspirational story, one of courage, bravery & you know what…doesn’t he look great??
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We had such a laugh on the shoot & Johnathan was even suggesting ideas & backdrops to me as we walked round. I love it when you can connect creatively with your subject, sharing ideas & understanding good lighting & composition. I began joking about the trainers & hoodie being a bit ‘Danny Dyer’ so we shot a few ‘chav inspired’ images, getting a more edgy, urban feel. Up came the hood & out came the attitude..
Johnathan showed me some photographs on his iPhone of what he used to look like. I was astounded!! I asked him if I could put them on the blog to show the amazing transformation & as you can see, it really IS a transformation.
Take a look at More Portrait Photography Posts:
Editorial Portraits of Lord Henry Plumb
Ian – Urban Portrait Photography in Birmingham
Editotial Portraits of Author Rosie Goodwin
Winter Location Portraits in Coleshill, Warwickshire
