There have been a few top 100 lists published and posted over the past few months. Not to be left out we asked Angelo, our resident photographer, to select his top twelve nail encounters. He has asked us to stress that these are in chronological order, not in order of favorites.
Michelle
Who forgets their first? Certainly not me. Michelle was the first woman to say yes when I asked if I could photograph her nails. This was so long ago that we had to send the photos off to our friend Leni Cano to be scanned (see the telltale feint blue line across the photo). Since this was taken, over 11 years ago, Michelle has had children and also lost the ability to grow her nails. I am glad I captured them at their best.
Sandy
I guess Sandy was the first woman I had encountered with nails that most people would think impractical for everyday use. My heart was beating so loudly that I could hardly hear her speaking as I took the pictures.
Marlene
When you ask women if you can photograph their nails their reactions can vary wildly. Some are kind, some love the attention, and some can be downright abusive. The woman who just called me "pervert" sticks in my mind but what could I say? Marlene has a place in my heart because I asked her in a supermarket car park and she said "No." Well never mind, I thought. I was used to rejection by now. "No", she repeated, "come back to my house and you can take pictures there. I'll also show you my collection of pre-painted nails." And so we did just that.
Sandra
Many women I want to photograph have long nails to disguise their short internails, or have long internails and don't bother to grow their nails long because, well, they are already long. Sandra has extremely long internails and has grown her nails to an eye-catching length. The result is first class nails which are hard to beat.
Karen
This was a great day. One of the museums in London was having a Black Hair and Beauty day and I went along with the expert nail photographer Tolu to see what we could find. To our delight there were many women there to have their nails photographed by the museum and they were quite happy for Tolu and me to do the same. There is a certain perfection to Karen's nails but what sticks in my mind the most is the simple entitlement and expectation to photograph nails.
Karen
One of my favorite themes is nail curve and I couldn't believe the depth of Karen's curl. Hard to believe that she was a waitress and if I met her at work I would not be able to concentrate on my meal.
Julie
Julie's nails are very striking. And that's without length or polish. Just natural perfection. Look at the vibrant pink of the nailbed and the flawless surface. Julie is a big favorite of the Nailpassion staff and we met her subsequently, once with Leni Cano to capture their beauty. I could take 1,000 pictures and never match the impact of seeing them in real life.
Sabrina
When the nail leaves the nail bed it can go in many directions. Sabrina's nails were long through neglect, not care, but they have a beautiful curve that I think I captured in this photo.
Anouska
I have included this photograph for one simple reason; the length of the internail of Anouska's ring finger. It just seems TOO big, but in a great way.
Marsha
It was the buzz on the bus that alerted me to Marsha's nails. Everyone was talking about them, nudging their fellow passengers and nodding in Marsha's direction. What a thumbnail, it nearly turns a 2D photo into 3D.
Leonette
I first met Leonette at the Victoria and Albert Museum beauty day and I had not expected to see her again, she said she was about to go to Italy with her boyfriend and open a nail salon there. It turns out that Italian women don't consider beauty any further than their wrists and after a couple of "very quiet" years Leonette and her Italian husband returned to England. They now live a couple of miles down the road from me. Here again, the attraction is in the curve, every nails looks like it is aching to reach over the fingertip. Mesmerising.
Ana
I love red nails. But when I arranged to meet Ana in New York I had not expected this! My heart stopped and then raced at twice its normal speed. Even today if I hear about Ana my heart races again. Many of the photos I take are quick chats with their owners and then I get on my way. It was lovely to spend a while with Ana and share some conversation. When I took the photos at the end of our meeting I felt a little intrusive and I have met her since and not taken photos because of that feeling.
