Ever Dundas: Writes scary things

Another of the Napier students, Ever is known for writing dark fiction which leaves her readers and audiences feeling slightly nauseous and scratching at their skin uncomfortably.



After ditching artsy ideas of her posing in a bath we went for a walk around Victoria Terrace and the Grassmarket, hoping for a nice outdoor table. When we couldn't find one (and the wind was flash-smashingly unhelpful) we ended up in her living room and once there was a friendly mannequin to hand she perked right up!

Barbara Melville: Science writer, foodie, events organiser, magician...

Another multitalented character is Barbara (website); studying Creative Writing, a science columnist with a bent toward the less knowledgeable reader, writes entertaining recipes when she can and in the last spare five minutes of the day is a magician an illusionist.



Barbara is one of the people I'm always very careful of when wielding a camera. She has a more than average sensitivity to the flaws she sees. So I was terribly pleased and flattered when she agreed to let me loose on her. She expressed a love of this image so we went up behind the museum to pose her near lots of graffiti. And then she hugged a cone.

Sian Bevan: Does pretty much everything

When not studying, Sian (blog)is an accomplished comedian, works with children and organises events. She's a dangerous subject because it's hard to work while giggling all the time...



We were meant to be sneaking into an abandoned bus station but someone had put a lock on the gate. After a nice walk in the park we ended up under a bridge, with lots of passersby peering in at who was being photographed there, and in a playpark where I made her look tiny.

David Bishop: Writer, comics, science fiction, TV...

David Bishop (Wikipedia) has been involved in many of my geekier hobbies; he edited 2000AD for years, wrote Dr Who novels and plays (see the extensive list on his blog) and now teaches Creative Writing while writing freelance.



I went to see David at Napier Univesity's Craighouse campus. His only request was that we try to buck the trend and not show him "gurning like a loon", which seemed a reasonable request. On arrival I was tempted to put him against the picturesque view across Edinburgh but it was a hazy day, which put paid to that. Instead we meandered around the campus and I managed to cover about 5% of his enormous range of expressions, pausing to lick a hazard sign and parody John Napier en route.

Ryan Van Winkle: Poet etc.

Ryan Van Winkle (website) is, amongst other things, Reader in Residence at the Scottish Poetry Library. When not running around the world working with poets and other creative types he oversees much of what happens at the Forest Cafe and is generally larger than life.



Ryan had suggested that, in order to demonstrate how he often feels, we arrange a long exposure in the Forest Cafe with him as a still point in the centre. It was unfortunate that on the day we had arranged the place was closed to the public and so there wasn't the usual hurly burly surrounding him. We went with the long exposure anyway. I may try a reprise on a busier day, if I can get him to sit still long enough...

Mark Cousins, Screenwriter, director, cinematographer...

Mark Cousins (IMDB) is another person with too many strings to his bow for me to list. Certainly he writes and is based in Edinburgh, which is enough for me.



Having been told of his boundless enthusiasm and extrovert tendencies (I did not, unlike previous photographers, get him to dance naked on camera) I had the image in my head of Mark perched on the castle esplanade, overlooking the city. As it turns out, he perches all over the place! But I hadn't allowed for the scorchingly bright sun - this being Edinburgh - so it would have been very tricky to get the shot I wanted. Instead we went around the outskirts of Arthur's Seat looking for places to perch.

I'm still frustrated at not getting what I was aiming for and may well ask him for a (twilight) rematch...

Jonathan Whiteside: Writer ,graphic novels

Jonathan Whiteside recently finished a Masters in Creative Writing at Napier University, where he specialised in writing comic book style fiction. Before I met him I had been told of him, and that he was being encouraged to take his studies further and do a PhD (A Doctor of Comics? How cool would that be!?). He's working on a book at the moment involving witches and insurance, set in Edinburgh.



I find that I'm drawn more to the eccentric images as I progress. I had the idea of Jonathan poking his head out from behind a bush like a very dapper woodland creature but there weren't any appropriate bushes. This was a tree I liked as we were wandering and when I went through the day's output it jumped out at me. Completely unlike anything I had intended, it looks more like a promotional shot for a stage show about fairies, but I really liked it.