A Masked Ball

Back in September I was booked to photograph the annual Black Rose Ball, which takes place in York Cemetery.

The brief was to try and capture the details of the event: flowers, styling, small vignettes. Any portraits would be taken by a different party using a flash (the ball started in the early evening). And being a natural light photographer I arrived early to make the most of it before the sun went down…

Of course, it was difficult to resist snapping the guests in their finery - and (the whole premise being that people would be ‘peacocking’) they were more than happy to pose.

This was an interesting experience for me, as I’m an introvert. Approaching strangers and getting in their faces is something that falls way beyond my comfort zone. And yet, oddly, I found myself enjoying it. My favourite images are those which were taken in a more candid style - where people are acting without being conscious of being photographed.

The editing process was a long one (so many pictures!) and it was difficult to choose between the colour and black and white versions. The colours were so sumptuous, but the monochrome edits really captured the details and atmosphere. So I let the client decide…

If you’d like to see more images from the event, take a look here.