100 Strangers : Round 5 : No .418 : Ray

100 Strangers : Round 5 : No .418 : Ray

I was taking some photos in Cobden Chambers, Nottingham on Saturday. It’s a little courtyard with a lots of independent shops, studios and a hub for Nottingham creatives.

As I was taking some photos, Ray, walked through the gate / entrance. Ray apologised for getting in the way of my photo, but I said it was OK.

Ray was opening the door to one of the shops when I decided to ask for a “strangers photo”.

I introduced myself, explained my project and asked for a quick photo.

“The camera only takes black and white photos, I hope that’s OK?”

Ray said it was and I took some photos, Ray removed a hat and glasses for the photo.

“What’s the shop you were entering”?

“It’s a record shop, I collect vinyl”

“Ahh OK any particular genre?”

“Look at me and take a guess” was Ray’s reply.

“Punk?”

“Correct, how did you guess?”

So I took a few shots, asking Ray if I could move a bit closer as I was shooting with a 24mm lens.

I showed Ray the photos.

“So how many vinyl records do you own?” I asked

“About 6K”

“6K, that’s a lot, I gave my collection away to charity”

“6K is relatively small collection” said Ray

I wished Ray a nice day and hoped the shop would provide some additions to the vinyl collection .

[Casablanca]

I think even without the makeup, he would have very striking eyes.

[Phil Howcroft]

@casablanca Ray's eyes do look great , I shot this at f1.7, so wide open , I think I could have got them a tad sharper though

[Casablanca]

@phil_howcroft Yes, his right eye is less sharp but it is still a good image.

[Phil Howcroft]

@casablanca I possibly needed to go to f2 , although to be honest I shouldn't pixel peek , I should just enjoy the photo and art I've created

[Casablanca]

@phil_howcroft But that is the whole point of playing with your creativity. I always look at photos and wonder what I could have done better or differently and that's fine. You still have something impactful here to enjoy.

[Carole Sandford]

A very striking chap. Definitely punk makeup & a different era. Super shot though!

[Phil Howcroft]

@casablanca thanks Casa' 📷

[Phil Howcroft]

@carole_sandford thanks Carole , Ray had a Cossack style hat , but removed it for the photos

[Mags]

A cool character and stranger capture!

[Phil Howcroft]

@marlboromaam cheers mags glad you like this

[Annie D]

great portrait of a cool looking guy

[Judith Johnson]

Wow, that's a lot of vinyl. Great shot and story Phil

[Beryl Lloyd]

Just a little heavy-handed with the black eye-liner ! ha !! - typical of the punk era ! - Great shot Phil, !

[Dorothy]

Terrific shot, glad you got some background on Ray.

[Peter Dulis]

Kind of scary - but well captured

[Corinne C]

A great model for your strangers project. Another black and white wonderful portrait.

[Dixie Goode]

He looks like a musician.

[LManning (Laura)]

There’s no punk like an old punk. Great portrait!

[amyK]

Put me in mind of David Bowie (maybe the hair)…cool portrait

[Kathy A]

Interesting looking character, very David Bowie like

[Dianne]

A terrific portrait.

[Boxplayer]

Aging punk rocker, excellent

[Christina]

Fabulous - that is a lot of vinyl. I wonder if he can sing along to all of them?

[Issi Bannerman]

What an interesting looking guy. I wonder how he looked with hat and glasses?! Great shot and narrative, as always!

[Dione Giorgio]

Fav. He does identify himself with the genre he loves. His eyes are very impressive. An excellent capture of him, Phil.

[william wooderson]

Much enjoyed reading your conversation! Yes, I think I might have guessed punk too! Fav

[FBailey]

V striking portrait

[Zilli]

Amazing how 'strangers' allow you to take their pictures. Great photos in your 100 collection.

[bkb in the city]

Great portrait and story

[Phil Howcroft]

@zilli I've photographed over 400 , I very rarely get a "No" , thanks for your visit and follow

@jamibann thanks Issi , much appreciated , I think Ray looked better without the hat and glasses

[Phil Howcroft]

@boxplayer aging indeed , I liked how punk evolved from raw energy and anti establishment into bands / artists with a bit of a social conscious and proper musicians