Shahad
I had finished one of my lifelong learning classes downtown and took a brief cruise through the busy campus, keeping an eye out for someone interesting to meet and photograph. I soon met a student who was kind enough to participate in my project and since it had gone quickly, I decided to get greedy and take a pass through the nearby Student Learning Centre. I had noticed the light can be good in the late afternoon in the coffee shop where students hang out. After strolling through the students who were working their laptops and cell phones if they weren’t visiting with one another, I noticed this beautiful woman standing by a pillar, looking as if she was waiting for someone. I think you are perceptive enough to see why I wanted to introduce myself and invite her to be part of my Human Family project. She seemed open to the idea after hearing what it is all about and wanted to know if I would just take the photo right there. I explained the light was poor and I would like to move her through the coffee shop to an aisle near the windows. I asked if she was waiting to meet someone, not wanting to have them arrive and not be able to find her. She explained her father was not far away on the stairs and I invited her to let him know where she was going to be for a few minutes. Meet Shahad.
One of my occasional conundrums is whether to ask a boyfriend, girlfriend, or parent to give permission for such a photo. Given that the subjects I approach are not children, I feel it’s only respectful to give them the decision. If they indicate they want to consult the parent or partner, I am fine with that. I feel that my openness to meeting the other person is further indication of the good will involved and spreads the friendliness. The fact that I’ve been yelled at once by a possessive boyfriend and told to get lost (after his girlfriend seemed pleased to participate) has not deterred me from respecting an individual’s right to choose. Consequently, when we met Shahad’s father it was with a friendly handshake and she simply told her we were going to be by the coffee shop window to take a project photo. He smiled, said he was glad to have met me, and stood by as Shahad and I wove our way through the tables and chairs to get to the spot I had in mind.
When I first started my project I would have been way too shy to pose a stranger in the aisle of a coffee shop which was teeming with students on all sides. At this point, I think my own confidence carried over to Shahad and we placed our bags on a nearby table and did the photos. She wanted to know what I needed her to do and I said what I always say: “Nothing fancy or difficult. My only request is that you look straight into the lens of my camera and I will take a few photos to guard against blinks, missed focus, etc. No need for a big ‘Here’s a camera’ smile. A relaxed expression like the one you have right now is perfect.”
When Shahad said “I think I look best slightly from the side if you want to do that, but hey, you’re the photographer.” I took her friendly lead and even pulled over a nearby chair and had her sit in the middle of the aisle for this slightly to the side pose which I liked. I had a great deal of difficulty in choosing between these photos for the main submission. Frankly, I think I would have been very happy with any of them. At first I wanted to use the monochrome 3/4 to the camera photo. Then I changed my mind, feeling that the straight on photo showed both Shahad's beauty and her strength. It also provides a sense of place because of the student coffee-shop activity in the background. Please feel free to give your own opinion. Frankly, I think I could have stood on my head sneezing and still gotten a nice portrait; Shahad is just strikingly photogenic.
We chatted for a few minutes and I found out she is 19 and is studying business management. Her serene and composed manner gave her an air of confidence and made her seem mature for a 19 year old woman. I'm sure her family is very proud of her and with good reason. Her goal is to launch her own fashion line and she knows that a firm grounding in business to go along with her creativity will contribute to success in the future. She explained that her name means “honey” and that it is an Arab name. She, however, is Palestinian although she was born in Saudi Arabia. We didn’t get into the story since her father was patiently waiting, but I think the complex circumstance of the Palestinian people and the instability of the Middle East has likely had an impact on her family.
The biggest challenge she has faced in life? “I’d have to say it was the culture shock I experienced when my family came to Canada. I was 7 at the time.” Her message to others? “Be kind to the people you meet. Compliment them whenever you can. Even if it’s just a stranger you meet in the washroom, it doesn’t hurt to tell them they are beautiful. You never know, but you just might make their day, and it’s possible that they will in turn pass that gift along to someone they meet later on.” What a wonderful message. I said “Since you’ve told me how you feel, I hope it won’t seem inappropriate for me to tell you that you are also beautiful and are a gift to my project.” She gave a shy smile and wished me good luck with my project as she typed her email into my phone for me to send her copies of the photos.
Thank you Shahad for such an enjoyable few moments and for your interest in The Human Family. I wish you much happiness and success and I think everyone you meet will come away a little bit richer for the experience.
This is my 66th submission to the Human Family group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.
Follow-up: I received a very nice email from Shahad thanking me for the experience of participating in The Human Family and telling me that she likes the photos. You are very welcome, Shahad. It was my pleasure.
Shahad
I had finished one of my lifelong learning classes downtown and took a brief cruise through the busy campus, keeping an eye out for someone interesting to meet and photograph. I soon met a student who was kind enough to participate in my project and since it had gone quickly, I decided to get greedy and take a pass through the nearby Student Learning Centre. I had noticed the light can be good in the late afternoon in the coffee shop where students hang out. After strolling through the students who were working their laptops and cell phones if they weren’t visiting with one another, I noticed this beautiful woman standing by a pillar, looking as if she was waiting for someone. I think you are perceptive enough to see why I wanted to introduce myself and invite her to be part of my Human Family project. She seemed open to the idea after hearing what it is all about and wanted to know if I would just take the photo right there. I explained the light was poor and I would like to move her through the coffee shop to an aisle near the windows. I asked if she was waiting to meet someone, not wanting to have them arrive and not be able to find her. She explained her father was not far away on the stairs and I invited her to let him know where she was going to be for a few minutes. Meet Shahad.
One of my occasional conundrums is whether to ask a boyfriend, girlfriend, or parent to give permission for such a photo. Given that the subjects I approach are not children, I feel it’s only respectful to give them the decision. If they indicate they want to consult the parent or partner, I am fine with that. I feel that my openness to meeting the other person is further indication of the good will involved and spreads the friendliness. The fact that I’ve been yelled at once by a possessive boyfriend and told to get lost (after his girlfriend seemed pleased to participate) has not deterred me from respecting an individual’s right to choose. Consequently, when we met Shahad’s father it was with a friendly handshake and she simply told her we were going to be by the coffee shop window to take a project photo. He smiled, said he was glad to have met me, and stood by as Shahad and I wove our way through the tables and chairs to get to the spot I had in mind.
When I first started my project I would have been way too shy to pose a stranger in the aisle of a coffee shop which was teeming with students on all sides. At this point, I think my own confidence carried over to Shahad and we placed our bags on a nearby table and did the photos. She wanted to know what I needed her to do and I said what I always say: “Nothing fancy or difficult. My only request is that you look straight into the lens of my camera and I will take a few photos to guard against blinks, missed focus, etc. No need for a big ‘Here’s a camera’ smile. A relaxed expression like the one you have right now is perfect.”
When Shahad said “I think I look best slightly from the side if you want to do that, but hey, you’re the photographer.” I took her friendly lead and even pulled over a nearby chair and had her sit in the middle of the aisle for this slightly to the side pose which I liked. I had a great deal of difficulty in choosing between these photos for the main submission. Frankly, I think I would have been very happy with any of them. At first I wanted to use the monochrome 3/4 to the camera photo. Then I changed my mind, feeling that the straight on photo showed both Shahad's beauty and her strength. It also provides a sense of place because of the student coffee-shop activity in the background. Please feel free to give your own opinion. Frankly, I think I could have stood on my head sneezing and still gotten a nice portrait; Shahad is just strikingly photogenic.
We chatted for a few minutes and I found out she is 19 and is studying business management. Her serene and composed manner gave her an air of confidence and made her seem mature for a 19 year old woman. I'm sure her family is very proud of her and with good reason. Her goal is to launch her own fashion line and she knows that a firm grounding in business to go along with her creativity will contribute to success in the future. She explained that her name means “honey” and that it is an Arab name. She, however, is Palestinian although she was born in Saudi Arabia. We didn’t get into the story since her father was patiently waiting, but I think the complex circumstance of the Palestinian people and the instability of the Middle East has likely had an impact on her family.
The biggest challenge she has faced in life? “I’d have to say it was the culture shock I experienced when my family came to Canada. I was 7 at the time.” Her message to others? “Be kind to the people you meet. Compliment them whenever you can. Even if it’s just a stranger you meet in the washroom, it doesn’t hurt to tell them they are beautiful. You never know, but you just might make their day, and it’s possible that they will in turn pass that gift along to someone they meet later on.” What a wonderful message. I said “Since you’ve told me how you feel, I hope it won’t seem inappropriate for me to tell you that you are also beautiful and are a gift to my project.” She gave a shy smile and wished me good luck with my project as she typed her email into my phone for me to send her copies of the photos.
Thank you Shahad for such an enjoyable few moments and for your interest in The Human Family. I wish you much happiness and success and I think everyone you meet will come away a little bit richer for the experience.
This is my 66th submission to the Human Family group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.
Follow-up: I received a very nice email from Shahad thanking me for the experience of participating in The Human Family and telling me that she likes the photos. You are very welcome, Shahad. It was my pleasure.