Andrew (Stranger #54/100), Paris Pont Neuf La Samaritaine
My final official posting from my Paris street portraits, delayed by all the wild work that comes with quarter end... and also failed attempts to process out the reflections in Andrew's spectacles. Andrew and Safra were wandering along the dilapidated frontage of the old La Samaritaine department store, where I'd met Lena and Michael. This interesting back alley along its side seemed a worthwhile background with the tall buildings and late afternoon light doing a reasonable job of controlling light levels. The only issue was the huge white building behind me, visible in Andrew's glasses as noted above. At least it looks Parisian I suppose! I'd hailed Andrew for his superbly appealing explosion of hair and beard, plus the cool rainbow-coloured DNA motif of his t-shirt. These things together, I thought, would give him a good central presence for the vanishing point composition of the alleyway I'd chosen as the background. In the comments there's a slightly wider version, and I was tempted to shoot even wider in the style of the fantastic Pete Zelewski, but my project is finding a style of its own which seems to pull in a little tighter. Even in experimenting a little around compositions, I'm keen to keep a consistent look and feel to the series, so this closer cropped version is the one I'm including. Andrew and Safra were an awesome couple - somewhat intellectual, somewhat whimsical, very easy going. They're over in Paris for two weeks, and only checking out Paris - an admirable level of focus, I thought. The t-shirt in this shot was a last minute addition and nearly didn't make the trip. I'm very pleased it did! Andrew and Safra - thank you both for stopping and sharing a moment of your afternoon with me. Safe travels! This is portrait #54 of my 100 Strangers Project - check out the group page and get involved.
My final official posting from my Paris street portraits, delayed by all the wild work that comes with quarter end... and also failed attempts to process out the reflections in Andrew's spectacles. Andrew and Safra were wandering along the dilapidated frontage of the old La Samaritaine department store, where I'd met Lena and Michael. This interesting back alley along its side seemed a worthwhile background with the tall buildings and late afternoon light doing a reasonable job of controlling light levels. The only issue was the huge white building behind me, visible in Andrew's glasses as noted above. At least it looks Parisian I suppose! I'd hailed Andrew for his superbly appealing explosion of hair and beard, plus the cool rainbow-coloured DNA motif of his t-shirt. These things together, I thought, would give him a good central presence for the vanishing point composition of the alleyway I'd chosen as the background. In the comments there's a slightly wider version, and I was tempted to shoot even wider in the style of the fantastic Pete Zelewski, but my project is finding a style of its own which seems to pull in a little tighter. Even in experimenting a little around compositions, I'm keen to keep a consistent look and feel to the series, so this closer cropped version is the one I'm including. Andrew and Safra were an awesome couple - somewhat intellectual, somewhat whimsical, very easy going. They're over in Paris for two weeks, and only checking out Paris - an admirable level of focus, I thought. The t-shirt in this shot was a last minute addition and nearly didn't make the trip. I'm very pleased it did! Andrew and Safra - thank you both for stopping and sharing a moment of your afternoon with me. Safe travels! This is portrait #54 of my 100 Strangers Project - check out the group page and get involved.
