I had a really lovely morning with author Elizabeth Graham recently. You can find out more about Elizabeth’s novels and work here

We walked about the city and barbican area and talked about everything except photography and books. It is so nice meeting new people and this is by far the best way to get really genuine yet relaxed portraits of adults.

Elizabeth’s next novel The History Room will be published later this year and is set in an apparently perfect English boarding school, but with ghosts from the past threatening its serenity.  And you can read the first chapter of the book she published last year Jubilee here . What a great way to publicise one’s work, give people a taster on your website..

Ah 1977, the Queen’s jublilee. I remember heat and, at 10 years old, finding it all a bit irritating,  wondering what all the fuss was about. Elizabeth’s book looks a lot more exciting a prospect!

Here are two of the images that Elizabeth chose from my edit.  I always give clients both a colour and black and white version of every image they choose. Converting digital images to black and white is a skill. Also for adult headshot purposes there are always lots of different uses : from Literary agent website, to festival brochures, book jackets and cards - it’s useful to have that choice readily to hand.

To see all the images from this portrait photography session in London, click here

Last month I photographed Pilar Ordovas who opens her own private art gallery this month - Ordovas -  in London’s Savile Row after thirteen years at Christie’s as Director of Post-War and Contemporary Art in Europe, and two years as Director of Gagosian Gallery.

Pilar is not only one of a few leading experts in her field, she was also responsible for establishing the world record for a living artist with the sale of Lucian Freud’s Benefits Supervisor Sleeping at Christie’s in New York which sold for $33,641,000 in 2008. Pilar also brought to auction Francis Bacon’s Triptych 1974-1977 which became the  most expensive work of art ever sold in London. Now she is set to become the international art market’s foremost top end dealer.

With Ordovas, she will not only be selling Art to private individuals but also curating major and important exhibitions that will be open to the public.

I wasn’t actually fully aware of this amazing background on the day of our shoot - it all happened very speedily - but I sensed over the afternoon as I photographed Pilar that here was someone who was not just a wholly trustworthy, thorough and experienced businesswoman, but someone with special qualities as a communicator and with a unique sensitivity for her subject. The charm and sophistication I hope will be obvious in the pictures below.

Within  a few hours in her company,  Pilar exploded the myths for me about Art Dealers (who to this day still tend to be men)  and people generally high up in the Art world. Not a hint of stuffiness,  superiority or affectation here - quite the opposite in fact - and someone I have no doubt that as time passes I will become very proud indeed to have photographed.

Oddly, as well as being in sophisticated surroundings and surrounded by precious works of art, I also found myself trialing my pet photography skills as we slotted in a few shots of Pilar and her dog Lola. An impressively obedient and poised canine she was too.

Here are some I especially liked from our afternoon: