Portraiture

I made the mistake of looking at my end of year write-up from a year ago. I could write exactly the same words now. That just about says everything really. I wrote then that the saving grace was my growing love for street portraiture and that has not changed at all. I have taken a portrait every single day during this year, the vast majority of which were of people I'd never previously met. It's not always easy, but on those days when it does become a challenge I often find myself rewarded with the best encounters of all. I do tend to get trapped in a bubble of my own making and these engagements with people cause it to burst and let the world in. I love that I now have an excuse to approach any random stranger on the street and strike up a conversation. I've encountered rudeness only once, when an old man simply told me to piss off. I suspect he was drunk.

As my love for portraiture has grown I have felt a desire to take it a little further - to learn new skills and give rein to a bit more creativity. I have a few ideas in mind which I hope to explore next year when things at work are a little less stressful. It was quite timely then that an opportunity arose this evening to kick this process off. I was invited by a friend to do a little impromptu photo shoot. I've got a lot to learn with this kind of thing but the first experience was great fun. And the model was happy with the results. I couldn't ask for more than that.

Happy New Year everyone.