Gianna (Stranger #25/100), Las Vegas Venice

Gianna (Stranger #25/100), Las Vegas Venice, a photo by flatworldsedge on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
When Gina and Gianna asked me to take their picture together in Venice Las Vegas, it seemed only fair to also pitch them in the idea of a portrait for the project.

Fortunately they agreed, and we got three quick frames for each of them before security intervened to move us along. Shooting with reflector and on camera softbox, it must have looked like a model shoot.

As always when shooting strangers that know each other, I'm posting as a single session. Gina did a better job with the reflector, and as she went first my exposure wasn't quite dialled in, so I've posted Gianna. Even shooting at ISO 1600 you can see the slight grain from boosting the under exposure - there's an atmospheric gloom in the casino, which doesn't help!

Gina - please do email me for your portraits. Gianna - I hope you like this one. Hopefully you both had a great day. Thanks for taking part in the project.

This is portrait #25 of my 100 Strangers Project - check out the group page and get involved.

Baleria (Stranger #24/100), Las Vegas Aria

Baleria (Stranger #24/100), Las Vegas Aria, a photo by flatworldsedge on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Baleria agreed to have her portrait taken just across from the new, silver frontage of the Aria casino in Las Vegas. All in I saw just five people say yes to a portrait, versus some twelve rejections. Maybe it was the heat, or number of touts, or lack of locations, but Vegas was very hard to shoot strangers in.

That made Baleria's stopping all the more appreciated. She was on her way to meet friends for a hen party; hence the fantastically presented hair. We chatted about her life in Stuttgart and holiday to family in Mexico; a great, energetic conversation that indicates she's every bit as full of energy as the 4,000W smile suggests.

This is portrait #24 of my 100 Strangers Project - check out the group page and get involved.

Jarnail (Stranger #23/100), London Soho

Jarnail (Stranger #23/100), London Soho, a photo by flatworldsedge on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Just a quick post, due to intense work which has kept me away from Flickr for a couple of weeks, whilst my grandfather's recent death has taken up some personal time as well. Jarnail was a great guy to meet and I feel hugely guilty that sharing his pictures has been delayed.

We meet in Soho after a day shooting with bomvu. His incredible turban and Canon camera (good choice, sir) stood out and necessitated my asking for a moment of his time and a portrait.

It turned out Jarnail is a model for a traditional music and cultural troupe, and that came across in his fantastically intense eye contact and posing. My first few shots were a little wayward as I experimented shooting full length, but after a good twenty minutes learning about the significance of his turban and Sikhism in general, we took a moment to grab some headshots. There's one in the comments, perhaps a nicer crop with the extra step back. I went with the main shot though, as the other has a slightly distracting lady and bag, and the impact of Jarnail's challenging stare is a notch higher.

Thanks for taking a moment to stop Jarnail - and for your patience whilst I processed your shots. I how you like them and hugely encourage you to get involved in the project yourself. You'll love it.

This is portrait #23 of my 100 Strangers Project - check out the group page and get involved.