An outdoor library of sorts
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Tag Archives: people
You've got some force field
3 of 52 – My Surrounding Neighborhoods
Week: 3/52
Neighborhood: Jewelry District (Los Angeles)
A three-exposure HDR of Pershing Square.
View on Flickr / Buy this print
You can follow everyone’s progress at the Photography Collaboration Project Group or with a search for the tag PCP:MNYN on Flickr.
This photo is part of my 2009 52 Week Project: My Surrounding Neighborhoods.
Something to take out your anger on
At least be smiling on the inside
Staring daggers
Juan
I’m taking $1 portraits as long as money permits. (See Thomas Hawk with his $2 portrait project and Justin Korn with his $1 portrait project.)
What’s the premise? I’ll offer $1 to anyone who asks me for money in exchange for their portrait. I’m a shy person, but I’ll do my best to find out a little about the person. You never know if it’ll make someone’s day for at least talking to them a little bit.
Juan meekly asked me for fifty cents (in Spanish) as I was walking towards the entrance to Pershing Square station. I asked him if he spoke English, then told him about my project.
He basically agreed. I pointed him towards this spot with better light. When I held up my camera to take the photo, he was turned to the side. I guess he didn’t want a straight on portrait or something.
I snapped a couple, then thanked him. I took out my wallet, but found that I only had five dollar bills. Gah! I told him I’d be back with change. I walked to Taco House nearby, ordered a burrito, then came back to him to give him the dollar I promised. He thanked me and walked off.
As for me, I sat on the corner to eat the carne asada burrito I had just bought before going to the subway. (It was delicious!)
Wayne
I’m taking $1 portraits as long as money permits. (See Thomas Hawk with his $2 portrait project and Justin Korn with his $1 portrait project.)
What’s the premise? I’ll offer $1 to anyone who asks me for money in exchange for their portrait. I’m a shy person, but I’ll do my best to find out a little about the person. You never know if it’ll make someone’s day for at least talking to them a little bit.
Fourteen months ago, Wayne flew to Los Angeles from Hawaii. He held a tall can in a brown paper bag, sipping beer – I can’t remember which brand.
I wished him well and continued on my photowalk.
Between points
A generator of memory floods
Danny, my next door neighbor, is almost gone[1. I won't go into specifics because I'm not sure his wife would want that.]. We’ve been neighbors for at least 10 years. In all this time, I’ve only taken one photo of him. Actually, I invited him to grandparents’ day from when I was in high school[2. All my grandparents passed away before 5th grade.], so we had our photo taken then, but those are hidden somewhere in the clutter.
I have a fondness for portraits, especially capturing people in their normal, everyday life. They deserve memories with photos.
The problem is that we remember the bad stuff more than the good – I hate that. Don’t ignore the bad. Try to see the awesome in people. “Check out this photo – those were some great times!”
What does that have to do with Danny? Well, seeing this photo just floods my mind with great memories of him. I can see visions from the past, not just a glob of text. I could probably spend an entire post about him.
I’m sure you can go to your archives or photo albums, pick a photo, and just watch the memories come back.
I guess I love creating memory floods. I carry my camera everywhere for that purpose. When you see me with camera in hands, please don’t shy away. Talk to me, smile, wave, do something wacky, or keep doing whatever you’re doing – they’re all the right answer.
