Can I look down? - a photo on Flickriver

Can I look down?

I'd spent a while waiting on a street corner trying to find people and then gave up in frustration. I jumped on my bike and starting riding up the street to the bridge that'd take me on the scenic route back to my train station. I rode past her heading in the opposite direction and she caught my eye. I pulled into the next side street, cut back between some cars and headed back the way I came. I pulled up a couple of houses in front of her and hastily lent my bike on a tree. My camera was already at my side as I rode which, fyi, is a stupid idea.

As she was walking past I said "Hi" and she said "Hi" back with a friendly face, but looked as though she thought my greeting was just in passing. So I followed up with excuse me and launched into my spiel. She asked me what the shot was for and I explained, 100 strangers in 100 days.

"OK. What should I do?"
"Stand there and just look awkward for a moment. It'll take me a sec to get my settings right".

I made some adjustments but when I put the camera up to my eye, to check the metering, she asked if I was taking the shot. I told her that I wasn't just yet and shot a bush to the side of her to test how it would look as a background. Content with the location I pointed at a spot on the ground and asked her to stand there.

"Can I look down?" she asked, after I'd taken a couple of shots.
"Sure, I don't think I've ever had anyone look down before." I replied.

I remembered to have a conversation this time. Turns out she works at a couple of local Cafe's in South Yarra, Cafe Republic and Crue, where she's the manager. She asked if I was an artist and I said I didn't really consider photography to be art, thinking specifically of my photography. She said that she thought it was and suggested I do the 365 project. I mentioned what Markus Schwarze has done was an inspiration for me and she said she'd seen something similar. At some point my bike fell down.

This is the thirty seventh portrait of my attempt at the 100 strangers project.

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Taken in: Australia / Victoria / Melbourne / South Yarra (show map)

Taken on: January 6, 2011

Tags:

100

strangers

canon

eos

60d

sigma

50mm

f/1.4

natural

light

street

portrait

south

yarra

melbourne

glitter

looking

down

girl

manager

bush

dof « less

Sets appears in: • 100 Strangers • Portraits

Groups appears in: • Canon DSLR User Group • Melbourne more » • Melbourne and Beyond • 50mm (The original 50mm group) • Beautiful • Sigma Lenses • Street Portraits • Natural Light Portraiture • The Portrait Group • A Place For Portraits • Melbourne Photographers • The Flickr Portrait Gallery • Melbourne Models • Faces of Portraits • Melbourne Street Photography • Street Portraitist • 100 Strangers • girl's portrait • 50mm f/1.4 Shooters • Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM • Portraits with DoF • Canon EOS 60D • Human Faces: Fascinating Just the Way We Are • Australian portrait • The Beauty of Girls and Women • Melbourne Portraits • Colour Street Portraits of People • Canon EOS 60D - Official Group • Canon EOS 60D Owners' Club « less

Camera: Canon EOS 60D, f/1.4, 0.003 sec (1/320) sec (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 60D
Aperture:	f/1.4
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/320)
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