Street Portraits
I finish work at 5pm. During Winter the sun sets at around 6pm and it’s very weak at sunset anyway. For this reason I hate Winter. The Golden Hour is not that golden and it’s always too brief. I never have enough time to get home and go out shooting so it has to be right after work, usually lugging around my bag which is nothing but dead weight and the camera bag if I want to be at all prepared. I long for Summer not only for the warm weather but for good shooting weather. Winter gives us other opportunities no doubt, but I do enjoy a nice afternoon walk in pleasant weather.
Today I went out shooting in the city right after work. The sun was really weak and all but gone by the time I was ready to leave work. I didn’t let it stop me and I wasn’t too fussed about what images I got. It was, let’s say, my re-initiation to street shooting after a long absence. I would have been happy just to wander about for an hour and get some exercise.
The light as I said was weak so I didn’t fuss about it. I was finding it difficult to see a good scene so I made my own. I started asking people if I could shoot them up close. Street portraits. Some staring at the camera, some trying to act natural and others I let do whatever they wanted. It was very fun approaching strangers and striking up a conversation with them.
There was the stereotypical labourer in glass reflection sunnies. An Asian photographer who asked me where I was from thinking I’m a tourist. The Indian in cool reading glasses seriously staring at my camera. The kebab shop owner who was rewarded with a purchase after I shot two frames. The two British old ladies who were polite as per reputation and laughed themselves silly as I thanked them and walked away. The Aborigine who asked me for change and was rewarded some gold with the conditional 2 frames. He also thought I was from Europe. The homeless massively white bearded man who laughed like a child when I told him the reason I wanted to take his photo was his handsome features. And without a doubt the most interesting guy of all. The old Asian guy who posed for me regally and then commenced to speak to me in Cantonese. As I’m lifting my shoulders in confusion he grabs a random girl waiting to cross the street and asks her to translate. He apparently wanted me to go back one day and give him copies. He says he will be at that same corner each day handing out fliers as he was today.
Apart from all the cool people I got to photograph I thought that the most interesting thing was that not a single soul said no and I asked around a dozen. I don’t care if all of the portraits turn out like crap, today was worth a lot more than a few frames. Not everyone shuns us photographers as we walk the streets looking for moments.