I needed to pick up an order from Hotter in Winchester so I suggested to Ray that we could go out to breakfast first, early on Sunday being much less busy for parking which is always a problem in the city.
We enjoyed our breakfast - full English, followed by bowls of strawberries, blueberries, bananas and apple. Hotter opened at 10 a.m. Surprise, surprise, when we arrived at the store, a buy-one get-one-pair-half-price offer was emblazoned across the front windows. A very helpful and pleasant young lady, Natalie, as I noted from her name badge, served me and I managed to exit the shop with not one but two pairs of shoes.
As we settled up, I thought to ask Natalie if she would participate in my strangers' portrait project, which she was very willing to do. I introduced myself and took a few shots just where she was serving. I asked how long she had been working at Hotter and if she likes it, and the answer was 18 months and yes, she does.
Natalie told me that she spends a lot of time working and sleeping. She supports her other half who plays guitar, rock and pop, at gigs in pubs and clubs.
I gave her my card to send to me for photos, and just as we were about to part company she told me that she had Photography A-level, and, as part of her study, had completed a module on Humans of New York, a project sounding similar to my work on strangers' photos and portraits.
I found HONY on Facebook and learnt it began as a photography project in 2010, the initial goal being "to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers on the street, and create an exhaustive catalogue of the city’s inhabitants."
It has now "expanded to feature stories from over twenty different countries and the work is also featured in two bestselling books."
Thanks to Natalie for participating in my project and for introducing me to the all-encompassing HONY. I wish her all the best.
En route back to the car we dropped into the Discovery Centre to view the paintings in the BP Portrait Awards 2018 Exhibition. Their brilliance has made me hope to be more adventurous in my own photographic portraiture work.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/150442566@N07/40795891583/in/photostream/
That's interesting, Pat and yes, for me it's the marriage of images and text which makes this project so special.
I like the writing behind Natalie as it helps tell the story