As a portrait photographer, you are never too sure what your subjects are really thinking when they are having their photograph taken. Are they thinking about their day to day problems, concerns, loves and hates at that moment in their lives or are they simply thinking about being in front of the camera. Da Vinci's enigmatic Mona Lisa has been scrutinised and discussed over many years because of the ambiguity of the sitter's expression, which has contributed to the continuing fascination with what she may be thinking. With this in mind and over a two year period, I took a series of photographs limiting myself to using a 50mm lens on my camera and only natural light. Choosing to photograph people in the Arts such as actors, musicians and artists, I provided them with a blackboard and chalk and asked each person to write down what they were thinking at that moment. I then photographed them with their blackboard thought, so that there would be no doubt in the mind of the viewer what the subject was thinking when they were having their photograph taken. Finally, I recorded them while they elaborated on the words that they had written on the board, giving a greater insight into what was on their mind. Their explanation sits alongside each photograph in this book. Will Wilkinson photographer