100 Strangers : Round 4 : No. 302 : Beth and Paula
I was walking my whippet at Nottingham Arboretum, the beautiful Victorian inner city park. As we walked down the hill towards the main path, I noticed two women sat on a bench, chatting. Behind the bench were some beautiful daffodils. I shouted across the path asking if I could take a photo of them. “Do you want us to smile” asked one of the ladies.
“You will only be small in the frame, its all about the bench and daffodils”
As the ladies posed nicely, I thought they might make a good strangers shot, so I told them about my project and asked if I could take some shots a little closer.
Meet Beth (nearest camera) and Paula. I asked them if they would stand in the daffodils, being careful not to stand on them, “Can you crouch down too please?”
Beth and Paula, were on their lunch break and had walked to the park “to get their step count up”. I thought they might be teachers from the nearby school or lecturers from Nottingham Trent Uni’. Paula told me they worked for an accommodation provider for Nottingham students.
I offered to send the photos to them, but they said they said it didn’t matter and then walked by up the hill towards their work place.
It was a bright sunny day and I was struggling with highlights on the ladies faces, but I just about managed to get a shot with good skin tones. On reflection I should have turned them through 180 degrees and shot them from the other side, that way I would have had some lovely rim lighting, however, this is street photography and one is working quickly and I just seized the opportunity for a great photo. My next stranger, shot in the same park, utilises the back light, but more about that in my next stranger upload
You composed a beautiful portrait of Beth and Paula, the light is nice and the flowers are marvelous! Do you plan on publishing your pictures of strangers with their narratives?
I quite like the light here, especially some of the shadows like the one from the loose lock of hair on Beth’s face. Lovely to have the flowers all around.
Superb shot mate, and good use of the available light too. I know what you mean about second guessing your technique after the event, and where you should have positioned you subject for the best light etc. Hindsight is great isn't it?
I like how you approach the subjects too. I have no bother with that at all, it's the best way I think. I cultivated my confidence and technique with that in the Army, with Stop and search duties in Northern Ireland. Once you've got their approval, you can really apply some fun. There's not enough of this going on if you ask me, so many folk nowadays like to creep around and be sly with their shooting. Be bold and get stuck in I say, more fun too, and the personalities you meet too, is sensational :)
@corinnec Corinne, thank you so much , I have no plans to publish my strangers !
@maggiemae thanks Maggie, I m pleased with this shot
I like how you approach the subjects too. I have no bother with that at all, it's the best way I think. I cultivated my confidence and technique with that in the Army, with Stop and search duties in Northern Ireland. Once you've got their approval, you can really apply some fun. There's not enough of this going on if you ask me, so many folk nowadays like to creep around and be sly with their shooting. Be bold and get stuck in I say, more fun too, and the personalities you meet too, is sensational :)
@caterina thank you Caterina
@pdulis cheers Peter
@carole_sandford good shout Carole
@caddick thanks Mike
@bkbinthecity thank you
@sangwann thank you Dione, I am pleased with this shot
@boxplayer it is too :)
@amyk Amy thanks for the kind words
@velina velina, once you've done your first stranger shot it gets easier to approach people :)
@ljmanning thanks Laura it was a bright sunny day for sure with challenging light
@marlboromaam I think so too Mags