Prudence
She and I emerged from the subway station at the same time and her height and great sense of style caught my eye immediately as a potential subject for my Human Family photography project. I expected her to disappear into the downtown crowd but instead she walked up to the door to a clothing store near the exit to the mall and joined a couple of other women who were waiting for the door to be unlocked by the security guard. Feeling that this twist of fate should not be ignored, I approached her and explained my desire to photograph her for my project. She listened to my explanation and when she saw my sample photos she became decisive. The only problem was her commitment to being one of the first customers into the store when the door opened in a couple of minutes. She was friendly, but adamant that she couldn’t be delayed. Suddenly she said, “Can you take it right here?” meaning in the atrium. It wasn’t ideal, but beggars can’t be choosers and I said “Yes. Let’s do it quickly.” Meet Prudence.
I grabbed a quick photo where she was standing, then asked her to turn a bit for somewhat better light and a more open background and took another couple of photographs. Since the security guard had not yet unlocked the door, I suggested we might follow up with things via email later. She volunteered her email address.
Prudence explained that she had come into Toronto from Barrie, ninety minutes north of the city, specifically to be first into the fashion store and couldn’t risk having the items she was after purchased by someone else. She was evidently wanting some new fashion items which were just being introduced today. She runs an eBay store where she buys and sells style and fashion items. That information fit when I put it together with her very fashion-conscious personal style. Her eBay store can be viewed here: www.ebay.ca/usr/luxeforless2014.
She mentioned she had just returned to Canada from a trip “back home.” Back home turned out to be Cameroon in Central Africa. Prudence was born in Cameroon and her family moved to Belgium when she was three, subsequently moving to Canada which is now home. We connected briefly regarding Belgium which my wife and I visited on a bicycle-barge trip four years ago. Her challenge? “Smiling. I hardly ever smile and my mother tells me I have a nice smile and should use it more often.” This surprised me and I said “You sure had a beautiful smile when I photographed you a minute ago.” She said “I’m practicing. I’m practicing every day because I think when people smile it’s a good thing and makes the world more friendly.”
Just then the security guard looked as if he was about to unlock the store and I realized I was going to be late to class. I promised to send her the photos and have already done so. I hope the friendly, stylish Prudence remembers to write me and tell me a bit more about herself.
This is my 555th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.
Prudence
She and I emerged from the subway station at the same time and her height and great sense of style caught my eye immediately as a potential subject for my Human Family photography project. I expected her to disappear into the downtown crowd but instead she walked up to the door to a clothing store near the exit to the mall and joined a couple of other women who were waiting for the door to be unlocked by the security guard. Feeling that this twist of fate should not be ignored, I approached her and explained my desire to photograph her for my project. She listened to my explanation and when she saw my sample photos she became decisive. The only problem was her commitment to being one of the first customers into the store when the door opened in a couple of minutes. She was friendly, but adamant that she couldn’t be delayed. Suddenly she said, “Can you take it right here?” meaning in the atrium. It wasn’t ideal, but beggars can’t be choosers and I said “Yes. Let’s do it quickly.” Meet Prudence.
I grabbed a quick photo where she was standing, then asked her to turn a bit for somewhat better light and a more open background and took another couple of photographs. Since the security guard had not yet unlocked the door, I suggested we might follow up with things via email later. She volunteered her email address.
Prudence explained that she had come into Toronto from Barrie, ninety minutes north of the city, specifically to be first into the fashion store and couldn’t risk having the items she was after purchased by someone else. She was evidently wanting some new fashion items which were just being introduced today. She runs an eBay store where she buys and sells style and fashion items. That information fit when I put it together with her very fashion-conscious personal style. Her eBay store can be viewed here: www.ebay.ca/usr/luxeforless2014.
She mentioned she had just returned to Canada from a trip “back home.” Back home turned out to be Cameroon in Central Africa. Prudence was born in Cameroon and her family moved to Belgium when she was three, subsequently moving to Canada which is now home. We connected briefly regarding Belgium which my wife and I visited on a bicycle-barge trip four years ago. Her challenge? “Smiling. I hardly ever smile and my mother tells me I have a nice smile and should use it more often.” This surprised me and I said “You sure had a beautiful smile when I photographed you a minute ago.” She said “I’m practicing. I’m practicing every day because I think when people smile it’s a good thing and makes the world more friendly.”
Just then the security guard looked as if he was about to unlock the store and I realized I was going to be late to class. I promised to send her the photos and have already done so. I hope the friendly, stylish Prudence remembers to write me and tell me a bit more about herself.
This is my 555th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.