100 Strangers #1 – Amanda

Having mainly been a landscape photographer over the years, I decided to take part in the Flickr 100 Strangers Project, pushing me way out of my comfort zone with the camera. Talking to people has never been a problem, but to ask for permission to take the portrait and obtain any details I could about them in what was essentially a brief meeting, became very daunting.

However, on a beautifully sunny day in July, whilst photographing the locks at Foxton in Leicestershire, I was watching a woman opening a sluice gate. I seized the moment and asked to take pictures of her working. The usual idle chat of how good the weather was etc followed. I then explained about the project and asked to take her portrait to which she happily obliged. Further pleasantries were exchanged and I now had a name for my stranger… Amanda. Amanda had hired the long boat for the day and was busy showing her daughter how to navigate the locks.

Today’s lesson is two fold, firstly DON’T stand at the bottom of a slope while taking portraits upwards when your a short person like me. Secondly, while taking to your subject, try to capture them between your questions and NOT while they are answering.

This picture is #1 in my 100 Strangers Project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the http://www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/