Via Flickr:
I'm a bit of a slave to backgrounds for my stranger portraits, and having seen this ace shop front glowing through the grey pillars of San Marco square, I camped the spot for half an hour waiting for an appropriate stranger.
Pietro was that man.
He was smoking a black cigarette with a look of focused thought. Unexplained the project to him, and how so far I'd taken portraits of Londoners and New Yorkers. He gave an exact nod, and stated "...and Venetians." Flicking his cigarette straight into a bin three of four metres off with effortless precision, he straightened his jacket and we started.
He didn't want to check his shot on the LCD, saying he was too old, with a wry smile.
There's a car colour for the Fiat Punto in Italy titled "Intellectual Grey". If I didn't name my shots by formula for my project, that's what I'd call this portrait.
Thanks Pietro for letting me take your portrait, and for the elegant intelligence you shared.
Camera wise, this again used on camera fill flash with a little softbox. Perhaps I over exposed the right side of Pietro's face, but generally the flash is serving me well. It's fun to have a portrait in Lightroom and play the "shadows" slider end to end without noticing a change to peoples' faces.
This is portrait #16 of my 100 Strangers Project - check out the group page and get involved. I can't recommend it enough.
Hope everyones having a great weekend.
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Pietro (Stranger #16/100), Venezia San Marco
Thursday, 14 March 2013
Renato (Stranger #15/100), Venezia Fondamente Nove
Via Flickr:
Renato's another Venetian local; kind enough to break his Saturday walk to chat for a couple of moments and take a portrait together.
He was a superbly no nonsense chap, with intense, polished style - as hopefully illustrated in the shot.
Renato - Thanks for taking part in the project. Your style is immense.
We only had time for three frames, and I was thinking chiefly about getting the flash settings right (even eTTL it's a new ball to juggle), so I wasn't at all sure with the composition of this. It felt at first like the wall was running the wrong way, but it's really grown on me. I think the hat line and collar somehow threads it together with the soft diagonals. It'd be interesting to know what people think.
Hope everyone is having an incredible week.
Tuesday, 12 March 2013
Greta (Stranger #14/100), Venezia Fondamente Nove
Via Flickr:
Greta was walking to work along Venice's Fondamente Nove as I leapt off the ferry from the airport. I'd just fitted my new flash and softbox, and looked up, saw her walking past at point blank range and asked if I could take her portrait. Which kind of surprised us both, it happened so quickly.
She was very unsure - noting that her hair was in a state and that she was running to work, but she agreed to one shot. That meant no reflector, carefully chosen background or checking of the LCD. Having never used the flash for a stranger portrait before, you can imagine I was just a little relieved with how things came out.
I'm a huge fan of purple and turquoise as a combination, and so the combination of the hazy Venetian canal and Greta's insanely appealing hair really pleases me! In the little chat we had Greta explained she was a Venetian local, so I'm really happy the shot places her there.
Greta - I hope you like your portrait. Grazie mille! Thank you for being part of my 100 Strangers Project. I really appreciate your stopping on a busy morning.
Greta spoke English, but the whole trip was made massively easier by my kind colleague Davide Bussola who invested a lunchtime translating some key 100 strangers project phrases with me.
Monday, 11 March 2013
100 Strangers Project, Venice
Thank you to Greta, Renato, Marco, Peter, Davide, Pamela, Giovanna, Agata, Niamh, Giovanni, Onai, Angela, Tristan and Naomi - it was great fun meeting you in Venice. I'll have your pictures ready through the week, so please do email me if you'd like a copy. I hugely appreciate your taking part in the project, and hope you like the results! Have an amazing week!
Saturday, 2 March 2013
Nimbus Of Winter (Pair Of Swans In Snow), Rickmansworth
Via Flickr:
Another quick, recent shot to show I'm managing to take some pictures beyond my 100 Strangers Project - though I'm finding that incredibly addictive.
Shot from the water - good wellingtons are part of every photographers essential kit, I reckon. I really like the nimbus of snow around the lead swan's intense expression, and nearly went with a hard close up to emphasise that. However, unusual as the diagonal out of shot feels, I really liked the main image as it was.
Hope everyone's having a fantastic weekend.
Friday, 1 March 2013
Box Room (University of East London), Tower Hamlets
Via Flickr:
Despite a complete obsession with street portraits at present, I'm still shooting my usual long exposure stuff too. This is one from a night out in Docklands with Seitrams, looking across a puddle at the University of East London. The white balance in this was a bit of a challenge. In the end I just left it pretty much as shot - a dirty light polluted glow, slight green from all that fluorescent lighting. It feels somehow Soviet to my eye.
The low POV is just with the camera sat on the floor. Sitting your camera on the floor, with a cable release, is one of my favourite long exposure options and great for travel shots when you might not be taking a tripod everywhere.
Hope everyone is well and enjoying a bright end to the week!
Sunday, 24 February 2013
100 Strangers - NYC, February 2013