Jasmine
I saw her in conversation with a friend on a street corner in downtown Toronto. She caught my attention with her photogenic look. She was bundled for winter and her blue Ray Bans completed the stylish look. The conversation she was having looked rather serious and I didn’t want to interrupt, so I strolled around the area looking for a suitable spot to make a street portrait, and took a selfie to check the light in the entryway of a nearby Public Health building. All the while, I was keeping an eye on the conversation, looking for signs that it was about to end. Eventually, she said goodbye to her friend and I caught up to her and introduced myself and explained my reason for wanting to photograph her. She seemed a bit hesitant at first, but changed her mind when she saw my contact card. Meet Jasmine.
I suggested the spot I had pre-selected across the street and we chatted as we walked. Jasmine was very agreeable as I indicated the location which was sheltered from direct light, but close enough to the sidewalk to receive good indirect light. She was a bit hesitant when I suggested a few photos without the sunglasses but agreed when I said I would delete them if she didn’t like them. My opinion was that she would look fine without them and in the end I was right and she was wrong. We both liked the photos with and without the Ray Bans as we reviewed them before stepping away from the building entrance which was a bit littered and not the nicest place to stand and chat. It had nice light but that was about it.
Jasmine is from Morocco and spoke with an appealing accent. She was self-conscious about her English but she spoke well. She is 25 and first moved to Montreal two years ago. Two months ago she made the move to Toronto, motivated by the fact that it is the business and financial capital of Canada. She is an I.T. professional, specializing in software development. “So, has it been easy to find work in Toronto?” I asked. She shrugged and said “I’ve not found work yet but I’m confident I will. I’m using this time to get familiar with the city and to improve my English” was her reply. In comparing Toronto to Montreal, her initial impression has been that while Montreal is more European, Toronto shows a more American influence. A challenge in life? “Actually, moving to North America was a big challenge. I came on my own, looking for better opportunities.” When she moved to Montreal, language was not as big a challenge as the move to Toronto has been because people in Morocco speak Arabic and French. The climate change must have been a bit of a shock. The people of Montreal are known for being stylish and I suspect some of Jasmine's put-together look reflects that fact.
Jasmine’s advice to her younger self was “Trust yourself more.” Her message to the world is “Be strong. If you believe in yourself you can achieve anything.”
The ten minutes we had spent together was quite enjoyable and I experienced Jasmine as a bright and friendly person. Combined with her knowledge base in software development, I have no doubt that she will find work in Toronto and achieve her goals.
Thank you Jasmine for taking a few minutes of your day to meet and participate in my project. You are my 584th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.
Jasmine
I saw her in conversation with a friend on a street corner in downtown Toronto. She caught my attention with her photogenic look. She was bundled for winter and her blue Ray Bans completed the stylish look. The conversation she was having looked rather serious and I didn’t want to interrupt, so I strolled around the area looking for a suitable spot to make a street portrait, and took a selfie to check the light in the entryway of a nearby Public Health building. All the while, I was keeping an eye on the conversation, looking for signs that it was about to end. Eventually, she said goodbye to her friend and I caught up to her and introduced myself and explained my reason for wanting to photograph her. She seemed a bit hesitant at first, but changed her mind when she saw my contact card. Meet Jasmine.
I suggested the spot I had pre-selected across the street and we chatted as we walked. Jasmine was very agreeable as I indicated the location which was sheltered from direct light, but close enough to the sidewalk to receive good indirect light. She was a bit hesitant when I suggested a few photos without the sunglasses but agreed when I said I would delete them if she didn’t like them. My opinion was that she would look fine without them and in the end I was right and she was wrong. We both liked the photos with and without the Ray Bans as we reviewed them before stepping away from the building entrance which was a bit littered and not the nicest place to stand and chat. It had nice light but that was about it.
Jasmine is from Morocco and spoke with an appealing accent. She was self-conscious about her English but she spoke well. She is 25 and first moved to Montreal two years ago. Two months ago she made the move to Toronto, motivated by the fact that it is the business and financial capital of Canada. She is an I.T. professional, specializing in software development. “So, has it been easy to find work in Toronto?” I asked. She shrugged and said “I’ve not found work yet but I’m confident I will. I’m using this time to get familiar with the city and to improve my English” was her reply. In comparing Toronto to Montreal, her initial impression has been that while Montreal is more European, Toronto shows a more American influence. A challenge in life? “Actually, moving to North America was a big challenge. I came on my own, looking for better opportunities.” When she moved to Montreal, language was not as big a challenge as the move to Toronto has been because people in Morocco speak Arabic and French. The climate change must have been a bit of a shock. The people of Montreal are known for being stylish and I suspect some of Jasmine's put-together look reflects that fact.
Jasmine’s advice to her younger self was “Trust yourself more.” Her message to the world is “Be strong. If you believe in yourself you can achieve anything.”
The ten minutes we had spent together was quite enjoyable and I experienced Jasmine as a bright and friendly person. Combined with her knowledge base in software development, I have no doubt that she will find work in Toronto and achieve her goals.
Thank you Jasmine for taking a few minutes of your day to meet and participate in my project. You are my 584th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.