I recently met and took the portrait of Nick Greenhalgh, a former professional rugby player and now co-founder & CEO at Luca Health, as part of my project on concussion in sport, For the Love of the Game. Nick’s playing career at his boyhood club of Northampton Saints was cut short due to injury, leading him to forge another path. After time at a startup in London and then completing his MBA, Nick is now focusing his efforts in supporting the welfare of athletes, an area that has not always been at the top of sport’s priority list; Luca Health looks to evolve concussion diagnosis and management from being almost entirely subjective to one that is driven by data and science.
I always start my portrait sessions with a conversation; this helps me build a relationship with the person about to face my camera and it allows me the opportunity to assess a person’s facial expressions, which in turn allows me to better direct that person. Conversation is a two way street, I not only learn about my portrait sitter but they, in turn, also learn about me which creates trust. In this instance Nick and I have the shared interests of sport and, in particular, wanting to promote awareness and education of the risks of concussion; children are especially vulnerable due to their brains still developing.
The first image in this triptych was the seventh frame of the session with Nick Greenhalgh, the middle frame was the 16th frame and the right hand image was the the 35th and final frame. In this instance I am using the first image in For the Love of the Game; there is enough sadness in regards to concussion and certainly with players who know of fellow team mates who are suffering with life changing disorders. A portrait expressing fortitude with a certain steeliness and resolution is a good counter balance to have.
It is also worth mentioning that the doctor who diagnosed Nick’s injury quit Northampton Saints rugby club in protest of how Nick was managed; the doctor is also part of For the Love of the Game.
