The day was bright and sunny yesterday so we decided on a trip to Salisbury, most of the attraction for me being William Pye's beautiful font in the cathedral and the reflection shots I find there.
As we entered the cathedral I found more than just reflection shots as it was beautifully decorated with bright floral arrangements in red, orange, yellow... I took a couple of shots of the first arrangement just inside the door and then noticed a figure reflected in the font.
As I approached, the figure moved left so I motioned with my right hand (not too imperiously, I hope) for it to move right again and back into the frame, which it did. I took just one shot and then moved forward to show what I had taken** and found that the figure was Hugh, a licensed lay preacher. He told me that he was part of the visitors' chaplaincy and that the people who do this work are drawn from all over the diocese and are not ordained.
I then mentioned my project and asked if he would be willing for me to take a portrait. He readily agreed and I checked whether he was OK for time to which he replied that he had to take prayers in the cathedral at 2 o'clock. I asked the time then which was 7 minutes to two. So I speedily changed to my portrait lens and took 2 or 3 shots which looked fine on the screen.
Then I knew there was not much time to glean some information to go in the story to accompany the portrait. Hugh told me that most of his working life had been spent in the army and, in answer to my question, that he left with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
He works in the cathedral twice per month and leads prayers on the hour. As a lay preacher he also assists the vicar in his local parish of Woodford Valley on the outskirts of Salisbury.
He was not interested in having his photo sent to him, saying, jokingly, that they already have many photos in the house and his wife would divorce him if he introduced another one.
Before we parted, Hugh asked me a little more about my strangers' project so I told him that it is part of my 365 Project page and that I have just started on year 6. I also found myself mentioning that since I joined 365 in 2011, photography has become part of my self-management-keep-well strategies for bipolar, which luckily he knew about, as prayers called and no time (or inclination on my part) to explain.
"Well done", said Hugh at some point in our conversation.
**
http://365project.org/quietpurplehaze/add-ins/2016-12-28
Keep enjoying it!