Sos
Walking my bicycle along Toronto’s Queen Street West I passed a young man with striking hazel eyes and thought “He would make an interesting subject for my Human Family photo project.” He was leaning against the windows of a home lighting store, having a coffee break. Then I noticed the lighting store had its doors open and I could imagine it being an excellent location for a street portrait with the out of focus chandelier lights as the background. That cinched it and I turned around to introduce myself and he received my introduction with friendly interest. “The project sounds interesting. Yes, I’ll do it.” We shook hands. Meet Sos who was in fact on a coffee break but had a few minutes.
I gave Sos my contact card to look at and asked for a minute to lock my bicycle. We talked a bit about the intent of the project and Sos said he liked the sound of it so I explained my idea of posing him in the open doorway of the store. (I must admit I got the idea for this photo from my wife who took a similar portrait of me in a breakfast spot yesterday with a dark interior lit by scattered lights.) I got my next hint of Sos’ character when he called in to the store staff “Excuse me but is it ok if we use your door for a couple of minutes to take some photos?” Permission was granted.
I took several photos without much conversation other than to explain positioning and the camera adjustments I was making. I liked his direct look into my camera. The photos were completed in about a minute and we then moved back to where I first met him and we chatted. I told him that the first thing I had noticed about him was his distinctive hazel eyes. He was a bit embarrassed at the compliment but told me no one else in his family, including his eight year old son, has similar eyes. He has been told that an aunt had similar eyes so it must be a recessive gene in the family that expresses itself rarely.
Sos is 29 and was born and raised in Toronto but his parents are from Barbados and Guyana. He is a musician who writes, arranges, and sings original music. To hear his unique musical stylings search “Sos Couture” in Youtube. His brother Tory Lanez is also a musician with a recording contract in the U.S. His brothers music can be heard at soundcloud.com/torylanez. This is obviously a creative family.
When I asked Sos what he had been doing when I approached him he explained he was just taking a short break from a renovation project next door. He and his brother are co-owners of the building and it is being prepared for a company that is going to be moving in. Sos has a crew working on the renovation but has come in to help with some of the heavier lifting to get the project going efficiently.
Sos seems to have his hand in many pots because he is running a clothing company as well and said that he and some other young entrepreneurs are working together under an organization named “One Umbrella” because they share similar values and are supporting one another. When I joked that it sounds like he is on the brink of taking over the world he laughed and said “We’re not fighting the current power. We ARE the power. We are forward thinkers who are trying to make a positive impact on the world.” Wow.
When I asked for any words of wisdom, Sos said “Love and be loved. It’s like a recycling program. If you put it into the world, good things will come back to you.” When I asked about his greatest current challenge he said “I’d rather tell you my most recent breakthrough rather than challenge. I’ve recently come to a deeper understanding that the entrepreneurial journey is an ongoing one. Goals are not achieved in big steps in a short time frame but through continuing effort over the long term. I can really understand this now and I didn’t until recently.” What an interesting guy.
I asked Sos about his initial reaction to my having introduced myself and my project and he said “I liked it from the word go. I believe in networking and making positive connections wherever I can. Your project sounds like it fits my way of thinking perfectly. If I had said no, this would never have happened. I can’t wait to see my photo and read what you write about our meeting today. You are like a reporter; you are really trying to get to know me and what I’m doing.”
Throughout our conversation I was struck by Sos’ politeness and respectful manner. The way he asked permission to use the doorway for the photo shoot impressed me. While we were talking we were approached by a panhandler with a mental health problem and Sos declined the request gently and with respect. Realizing I had already taken up more of his time than I had promised, it was time to thank him and let him get back to work. He gave me a warm handshake and said again how much he enjoyed meeting me. “I’m certain this is not the last time our paths will cross” were his final words. I Hope that’s true.
Thank you Sos for the interesting conversation and for participating in The Human Family. I wish you well with all that you are doing.
This is my 68th submission to the Human Family group on Flickr.
You can see more street portraits and read the stories by visiting www.flickr.com/groups/thehumanfamily.
Sos
Walking my bicycle along Toronto’s Queen Street West I passed a young man with striking hazel eyes and thought “He would make an interesting subject for my Human Family photo project.” He was leaning against the windows of a home lighting store, having a coffee break. Then I noticed the lighting store had its doors open and I could imagine it being an excellent location for a street portrait with the out of focus chandelier lights as the background. That cinched it and I turned around to introduce myself and he received my introduction with friendly interest. “The project sounds interesting. Yes, I’ll do it.” We shook hands. Meet Sos who was in fact on a coffee break but had a few minutes.
I gave Sos my contact card to look at and asked for a minute to lock my bicycle. We talked a bit about the intent of the project and Sos said he liked the sound of it so I explained my idea of posing him in the open doorway of the store. (I must admit I got the idea for this photo from my wife who took a similar portrait of me in a breakfast spot yesterday with a dark interior lit by scattered lights.) I got my next hint of Sos’ character when he called in to the store staff “Excuse me but is it ok if we use your door for a couple of minutes to take some photos?” Permission was granted.
I took several photos without much conversation other than to explain positioning and the camera adjustments I was making. I liked his direct look into my camera. The photos were completed in about a minute and we then moved back to where I first met him and we chatted. I told him that the first thing I had noticed about him was his distinctive hazel eyes. He was a bit embarrassed at the compliment but told me no one else in his family, including his eight year old son, has similar eyes. He has been told that an aunt had similar eyes so it must be a recessive gene in the family that expresses itself rarely.
Sos is 29 and was born and raised in Toronto but his parents are from Barbados and Guyana. He is a musician who writes, arranges, and sings original music. To hear his unique musical stylings search “Sos Couture” in Youtube. His brother Tory Lanez is also a musician with a recording contract in the U.S. His brothers music can be heard at soundcloud.com/torylanez. This is obviously a creative family.
When I asked Sos what he had been doing when I approached him he explained he was just taking a short break from a renovation project next door. He and his brother are co-owners of the building and it is being prepared for a company that is going to be moving in. Sos has a crew working on the renovation but has come in to help with some of the heavier lifting to get the project going efficiently.
Sos seems to have his hand in many pots because he is running a clothing company as well and said that he and some other young entrepreneurs are working together under an organization named “One Umbrella” because they share similar values and are supporting one another. When I joked that it sounds like he is on the brink of taking over the world he laughed and said “We’re not fighting the current power. We ARE the power. We are forward thinkers who are trying to make a positive impact on the world.” Wow.
When I asked for any words of wisdom, Sos said “Love and be loved. It’s like a recycling program. If you put it into the world, good things will come back to you.” When I asked about his greatest current challenge he said “I’d rather tell you my most recent breakthrough rather than challenge. I’ve recently come to a deeper understanding that the entrepreneurial journey is an ongoing one. Goals are not achieved in big steps in a short time frame but through continuing effort over the long term. I can really understand this now and I didn’t until recently.” What an interesting guy.
I asked Sos about his initial reaction to my having introduced myself and my project and he said “I liked it from the word go. I believe in networking and making positive connections wherever I can. Your project sounds like it fits my way of thinking perfectly. If I had said no, this would never have happened. I can’t wait to see my photo and read what you write about our meeting today. You are like a reporter; you are really trying to get to know me and what I’m doing.”
Throughout our conversation I was struck by Sos’ politeness and respectful manner. The way he asked permission to use the doorway for the photo shoot impressed me. While we were talking we were approached by a panhandler with a mental health problem and Sos declined the request gently and with respect. Realizing I had already taken up more of his time than I had promised, it was time to thank him and let him get back to work. He gave me a warm handshake and said again how much he enjoyed meeting me. “I’m certain this is not the last time our paths will cross” were his final words. I Hope that’s true.
Thank you Sos for the interesting conversation and for participating in The Human Family. I wish you well with all that you are doing.
This is my 68th submission to the Human Family group on Flickr.
You can see more street portraits and read the stories by visiting www.flickr.com/groups/thehumanfamily.