Haze's strangers: No.109: Katie  by quietpurplehaze

Haze's strangers: No.109: Katie

We visited the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea to see the exhibition called 'Love the Words'. At reception, Ray asked for tickets for 2 adults and was surprised to find entry was free. Next I asked about photography, expecting a negative reply but the young lady on the reception desk just joked that this was OK if I only took her good side.

This, of course, was the perfect lead-in for me to explain my project and ask for a photo. The said young lady agreed and I introduced myself and found out her name was Katie.

She explained that she came to work at the Dylan Thomas Centre initially for one year, but now, ten years on........ Like Dylan Thomas, Katie also has a love for words and her play, 'The Eighth Story' will be performed in June at Swansea Grand Theatre.

Katie hails from Durham and gained her first degree in English, Archaelogy and Theology, followed by an MA in Theology and Religion. She came to Swansea to study for an MA in Creative Writing. Katie has already had plays performed and is working on a book. It can definitely be said that her passion is writing.

The little photoshoot was challenging, owing to different types of indoor lighting in the foyer, coupled with daylight flooding in through the open entrance doors. Katie was very accommodating standing in a few different places for me to take shots but obviously it was not possible to take her totally away from her position with visitors coming and going.

I like the fact that, in this project, I can be suddenly confronted by adverse conditions for photography and need to stop and learn. In this case, any tips on avoiding reflections would be welcome.

The exhibition was very interesting and one exhibit whose image has stayed with me is the front of Dylan Thomas's writing shed, rescued from the council rubbish tip in the 1970s, no doubt by some far-seeing soul.

And two quotes I liked, 'He left school at 16 with one qualification in English, but he had already started his poetry notebooks,' and, 'Early stories were written on unfolded cardboard boxes.'

https://365project.org/quietpurplehaze/add-ins/2017-05-29
A really lovely image.
May 29th, 2017  
a really interesting lady.
I have seen lots of tutorials on Google to avoid glare from glasses.
I have the same problem myself. https://mcpactions.com/2012/05/09/photographing-people-in-glasses/
http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/how-to-reduce-glare-in-glasses-for-photos/
May 29th, 2017  
A very nice image
May 29th, 2017  
A lovely story and so wonderful when we meet lovely people too! I love reading about your strangers and seeing their photos!
May 29th, 2017  
Happy story and great portrait!!! Telll me please how you captured it? I mean spectacles? My daughter has them, and I'm always have problem to shooting them.....
May 29th, 2017  
@onewing

Babs, thank you so much, had a quick look and bookmarked to read carefully later.
May 29th, 2017  
@olenadole

Nadiya, look at the refs given by Babs, 3 comments above your comment.
May 29th, 2017  
She has a lovely smile :)
May 29th, 2017  
Bep
A lovely portrait of Katie.
May 29th, 2017  
A lovely capture and interesting account .
May 29th, 2017  
Awesome picture.
May 29th, 2017  
Great portrait shot and story
May 29th, 2017  
Pam
Nice photo!
May 29th, 2017  
A lovely photo. I think a polarizing filter is supposed to help with glare.
May 29th, 2017  
@megpicatilly Thanks for the tip.
May 29th, 2017  
A great capture and interesting narrative (and I have such trouble with reflections - Catherine had a good suggestion)
May 29th, 2017  
A very clever girl, I love that you took her in position in her work spot. The words behind seem so suitable for her. I like this one the best too.
May 29th, 2017  
You have a knack for getting your subjects to be so comfortable! It rewally shows.
May 29th, 2017  
A beautiful portrait of this beautiful Lady.
May 29th, 2017  
Lovely portrait achieved under trying lighting conditions Hazel what an interesting story and lady:)
May 29th, 2017  
Good luck to her with her play!
May 30th, 2017  
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