On Wednesday, Ruby (that’s my Whippet dog) and I went a walk around along the Beeston to Nottingham Canal, from Castle Marina to Trent Bridge and back.
It was quite a dull day, not ideal for photography, but as we got to the Embankment and Trent Bridge, the low sun made a brief appearance.
I noticed a group of rowers by the boat clubs near the Forest football ground, so we walked across the bridge and down the side of the Trent.
As we got next to the group of rowers there were about seven female students in a group. I smiled and Ruby did her best dog “smile / hello” at which point the students all made a big fuss of Ruby …
“Awww she’s cute”
“What breed is she?”
“What’s her name?”
“She’s really friendly”
“I like her coat”
“She’s tiny”
“Awww look at her tail wag”
“How old is she?”
So I had a chat with them all about Ruby while she lapped up all the attention.
I then told them I was an amateur photographer doing a 100 strangers project and asked if any of them would like to be one of my strangers.
Honor from the group stepped forward.
Honor is a third year History student from Nottingham Trent University.
I asked her if she would stand by a burger stall. It was match night at the City Ground and the side of the River Trent is a magnet for burger vans and fast food stalls, serving the thousands of fans visiting the stadium. The invitation to stand by the stall raised quite a few laughs from the students.
I asked Honor what her job prospects would be like in the summer when she graduates. Honor told me she was hoping to get a job in media and music, maybe on local radio to start with.
She told me we would need to be quick doing the shoot as they could be “called to oars” any minute.
I showed Honor the photos and she said she looked good for a Saturday afternoon. I told her it was a Wednesday ! We both laughed (student life in Nottingham has a reputation for being good) !
Honor, thanks for being stranger 205 in my third round of 100 strangers. Good luck with your rowing and career after you graduate.
BTW : don’t you think that burger bar created a great backdrop?
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
https://www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers
My own strangers can be seen here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/57144254@N08/albums/72157657822400168
@beryl it is a great smile beryl :)
@sangwann thanks Dione, Ruby has been a useful intro on some recent photos, but the majority of my strangers are just me and my camera :)
@lynnz thank you lynn, i am pleased you like this :)
@tinley23 thanks lesley, the story is an integral part of the project :)
@helenhall thanks helen , you have to act and think quick when you photograph strangers , the burger bar was a good find :)