Cortwright
I have been meeting and photographing strangers for approximately ten years now and I have learned that sometimes an encounter with a stranger needn't be lengthy in order to be meaningful.
This man and I crossed paths in the crowd at a local Intercultural Art Festival. We were walking through the crowd in opposite directions but something in his open smile "clicked" and made me think he would be a great portrait subject and an interesting man to meet. Despite being complete strangers, we both said hello as we passed each other.
I wished I had approached him and reversed direction, thinking it unlikely that I could spot him again in the crowd. Luck was with me and I saw him leaning against a sign post, enjoying the music and dancers on the nearby stage. He still had the same engaging smile and when I introduced myself and explained my photo project, he agreed to a photograph. Meet Cortwright.
I asked Cortwright to step away from the sign post, explaining that it wouldn't do to have a metal post appearing to grow from the top of his head. He obliged. I changed my phone camera setting to let the busy background fall out of focus and took a couple of photos.
It was not a conducive environment for a conversation because we were standing next to a full scale concert speaker but I learned that he is 82 and was born in Antigua, West Indies and is a retired Chef who lives in a nearby town. He said he used to be part of the Festival in years gone by (presumably running a food stand serving food from the West Indies) but said "Now I'm retired. I still come but now it's just to enjoy the Festival."
Cortwright liked the photo and asked if he could have a copy. I said I would gladly send it to him and he gave me his email address.
He appreciated the photo and thanked me warmly by email and said his life journey had been far too great an adventure to explain briefly. He said he migrated to Canada in 1965 and said "My life story could be a best seller ; I'm still waiting for someone to write it." He did say that life has been good to him.
I would have loved to hear the story but felt lucky to have had the brief meeting. It was definitely his warmth and open smile that made me want to meet him in the crowd.
The purpose of the Intercultural festival was to "Celebrate our differences and find common ground." It was held in KIngston's downtown Confederation Park and was very well-attended. Dozens of cultures were represented by music, dance, food, and crafts. I felt so fortunate to be living in a place where cultural differences could be celebrated while in other parts of the world people are addressing cultural differences with bombs and bullets.
Thank you, Cortwright, for participating in my photo project. You are my 922nd submission to The Human Family Group.
You can see more street portraits of strangers and read their stories by visiting The Human Family.
Cortwright
I have been meeting and photographing strangers for approximately ten years now and I have learned that sometimes an encounter with a stranger needn't be lengthy in order to be meaningful.
This man and I crossed paths in the crowd at a local Intercultural Art Festival. We were walking through the crowd in opposite directions but something in his open smile "clicked" and made me think he would be a great portrait subject and an interesting man to meet. Despite being complete strangers, we both said hello as we passed each other.
I wished I had approached him and reversed direction, thinking it unlikely that I could spot him again in the crowd. Luck was with me and I saw him leaning against a sign post, enjoying the music and dancers on the nearby stage. He still had the same engaging smile and when I introduced myself and explained my photo project, he agreed to a photograph. Meet Cortwright.
I asked Cortwright to step away from the sign post, explaining that it wouldn't do to have a metal post appearing to grow from the top of his head. He obliged. I changed my phone camera setting to let the busy background fall out of focus and took a couple of photos.
It was not a conducive environment for a conversation because we were standing next to a full scale concert speaker but I learned that he is 82 and was born in Antigua, West Indies and is a retired Chef who lives in a nearby town. He said he used to be part of the Festival in years gone by (presumably running a food stand serving food from the West Indies) but said "Now I'm retired. I still come but now it's just to enjoy the Festival."
Cortwright liked the photo and asked if he could have a copy. I said I would gladly send it to him and he gave me his email address.
He appreciated the photo and thanked me warmly by email and said his life journey had been far too great an adventure to explain briefly. He said he migrated to Canada in 1965 and said "My life story could be a best seller ; I'm still waiting for someone to write it." He did say that life has been good to him.
I would have loved to hear the story but felt lucky to have had the brief meeting. It was definitely his warmth and open smile that made me want to meet him in the crowd.
The purpose of the Intercultural festival was to "Celebrate our differences and find common ground." It was held in KIngston's downtown Confederation Park and was very well-attended. Dozens of cultures were represented by music, dance, food, and crafts. I felt so fortunate to be living in a place where cultural differences could be celebrated while in other parts of the world people are addressing cultural differences with bombs and bullets.
Thank you, Cortwright, for participating in my photo project. You are my 922nd submission to The Human Family Group.
You can see more street portraits of strangers and read their stories by visiting The Human Family.