Matt: #6/100 Strangers

Keen to maintain some momentum and after a long days hike, I jumped on the bike and roared off to Windsor to get another stranger before the light died. I hoped the bright skies and tall buildings would make for some good even light as the sun dipped below the level of the skyline.

 

I was against the clock as I parked up and set off to look for a good location. Just about the whole town was in shadow and the streets that were packed a few hours earlier were almost empty. I wanted to use the pedestrianised high street - Peascod Street- to create some nice leading lines and allow the background drift nicely out of focus. Unfortunately it was deserted, so I found a spot in the centre around the station where there was more foot traffic, which provided some leading lines with the bright sky facing and sun below the top of the buildings.

 

I started to question the wisdom of trying to cram in a rushed Stranger portrait right at the end of the day when the light was dying and the busy centre was getting quieter by the minute. People walked by in twos and threes, in conversation or heading home after a days shopping. The longer I stood around the more I wondered if I was being too picky, or if I just timed my trip badly. The sun fell further and I bumped up the ISO a little further as my impatience grew.

 

I watched an interesting older couple; him with a beard and hat that hinted at an artistic bent wander slowly past. They sauntered past and into the distance, and I realised I really should have talked to them, as they were the most interesting subjects I'd seen and seemed to have a friendly demeanour.

 

I bumped up the ISO another notch and stared into the distance, willing another character to come around the corner, unladen with fistfulls of shopping bags or a group of impatient friends.

 

Luckily for me, Matt rounded the corner. Dressed formally but with with a relaxed gait, Matt walked with the air of someone with time to kill. I asked Matt to help out with my project, and luckily for me he was happy to let me give me a few minutes. I explained what I was up to, and tried one spot which I liked for the background, then another with better light. The first ended up too dark, so this shot is from the second angle. Afterwards as I reviewed the shots I realised that I had taken my impatient mindset from scouting for subjects into these shots, and I wasn't as calm and methodical as I need to be. Directing a subject requires a conscious effort for me, and I was too preoccupied with what I was doing to make the most of the situation. Matt was very relaxed and patient, but I didn't offer sufficient direction to get the shot I had in mind. Matt's dominant feature are his eyes, and to me he came across as authoritative but personable. In retrospect I would have liked to show this with engaged, communicative eye contact with the rest of his face relaxed, shot from straight on and slightly below eye level.

 

Coulda woulda shoulda.

 

It's a learning experience, and as this stranger shot has taught me to get out of scouting mode and into photographer mode when the time comes.

 

Thanks Matt for being generous with your time, and thanks to anyone that managed to read this far... these are turning into essays

 

100 Strangers Group:

www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/

 

 

 

Done