Those of you who follow me will know I am a Bolton Wanderers supporter living in Nottingham. So today was a "home" match for me despite it being an "away" game for the Wanderers as they visited Nottingham Forest FC.
It was a dry and bright day today so I decided I would take my Canon 450d down to the City Ground to try and get some streetie style photos and possibly a stranger too.
As I walked down the banks of the Trent from the Ladybay Bridge I spotted Peter. I walked past him and got my camera out of my bag and took a couple of shots of the river and of people approaching the stadium.
I then made my way back to where Peter was stood. It was then I realised he was selling Nottingham Forest lottery tickets, so I knew he wouldn't wander away.
I then approached Peter and told him about my street photography project photographing strangers. He was happy to pose for a few shots between selling tickets.
I asked him to 'bob down a bit as he was slightly taller than the background (which I think was a big metal container, the type you see at the side of docks, which may have been used as storage for the rowing clubs that sit alongside the River Trent).
I asked Peter how long he had been selling lottery tickets for Forest. He had been doing it for three years. Peter's favourite all time Forest Player is Stuart Pearce MBE (also known as Psycho) . I told him it was a good choice as Psycho was a great player and was well respected by supporters of other clubs. We then had a little chat about the predicament of Bolton Wanderers , which for those of you who don't follow football is unbelievable. On Monday the Wanderers go to the High Court to be wound up by HMRC for none payment of VAT and PAYE. We are losing £1 million pound a month and as well as losing money we are losing on the pitch and sit rock bottom of the Championship.
Today's result ? We lost 3-0. Goalkeeper sent off on 10 minutes and we had one shot on target in the 90 minutes.
Anyway, thanks Peter for taking part in my project. Eagle eyed among you will notice Peter is wearing an old school Forest hat that shows the old badge rather than the Forest Tree
Edited in Rawtherapee, with natural skin tones and a bit of tone mapping.
This picture is number 16 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the
100 Strangers Flickr Group page
My own strangers can be seen here:
www.flickr.com/photos/57144254@N08/albums/72157657822400168
Can things get so bad for your team that it disbands?
Thanks for your really nice comments about my colour portraits
Sad to hear what's happening to Bolton. I always shudder when I hear the amount of money being gobbled up by the Premier League. Sounds like that's having effects on the other leagues and clubs too.
If I had a Russian multi millionaire friend, I'd definitely send him up to Bolton Wanderers FC.
A vibrant portrait, Phil, of a supporter of the opposition. I think you are a brave and tolerant man! I had to smile reading your narrative as our approach seems very similar - circling round the subject (victim?!) before making the approach. That's why I was a bit fazed by the encounter with Jim in the car park after Christmas.
@quietpurplehaze thanks haze, you are right about the approach too, you try to suss out if the person will be a willing participant , so your terminology of circling around seems quite accurate :)
@busylady thanks judith, lol, not too sure if having his photo was the highlight of his day, i think the result might have been recived a little better :)
@happypat thanks Pat it was a nice little photo shoot . As for Bolton ,we find out tomorrow whether we have a future, thoughts among thepress are that HMRC might defer the winding up order to give us time to sell the "family jewels" :(
@sangwann cheers dione, it is indeed hard times being a Bolton Wanderers supporter. Everything is geared towards the premier league and 'grass route football' and those none prem clubs suffer :(
@sketch2 cheers Dave, the money in the Prem League is obscene and it makes for a poot two team
@sdutoit thank you sylvia
@eyesmile thanks for your continues support and nice comments on my shots gena :)
@dulciknit thanks alison , i always lookfor either a neutral background or one that gives me some good bokeh, but when you are doing a street portrait it is a case of try and make the most of what you have :)