And I got to photograph Charles. Charles is someone I have been wanting to photograph for a long time and this was the opportunity I needed. Charles is the father of a good friend of mine and you will rarely meet someone so dignified, calm and genuinely hospitable. He is from Ghana and the village he is from, his family are the ‘Chiefs’ of the village. Charles turned down the opportunity to become the chief, allowing the privilege to pass on to his brother, choosing to stay in London and raise his family instead. I am sure that he thought I was quite mad wanting to photograph him, however he was more than gracious with his time and I felt I was able to capture the serenity that he embodies.

The other piece of work I entered was a portrait of a sports climber, who I photographed as part of a ongoing project. I shot this on medium format black & white film to give me the texture that I felt would match the scene.