• Candid Portraits,  coffee shops

    Coffee and Conversation

    Coffee and Conversation

    As most of you know from reading my posts I do enjoy spending time (and too much money) in coffee shops and I have some favorite places I patronize on a regular basis. There is something communal about these shops. I like walking in to a coffee shop and having the barista call you by name or query you as to why you weren’t in yesterday. Or, to have other coffee patrons start up conversations about their sons basketball game or test grades. Community is a good word.

    They are also places for meetings. Lots of business meetings take place here. First dates. Last dates. Meeting a friend you haven’t seen on the last 10 months. I noticed this couple one morning last week and asked if I could take a few images. I wanted the silhouette effect to show their conversation and yet not let their identity be known. Some good coffee and conversation.

  • Candid Portraits,  Cityscapes/Urban

    A place by himself

    A place by himself
    A place by himself

    Sometimes I like to find a place where I’m pretty much by myself, like this young man. It was a warm and sunny day in Portland, Maine, so we took the bus from our hotel down to the port area. The bus depot is next to Monument Square where this young man found some solitude among the crowd at the base of the statue. Hope you’ve had a good day!

  • Candid Portraits,  People/Portraits

    Melinda

     

    Melinda
    Melinda

    Sometimes I find it easy to approach people on the street and other times I find it uncomfortable. A fellow blogger, Earl Moore, wrote a short blog on this issue and how we can approach photographing people. His blog has been triggered by Bruce Percy who talks about his approach to travel portraits. I tap into both of these two photographers. Because of this young lady’s inviting smile my gut told me to ask her if I could take her photo. Thankfully, yes was her answer. However, if it had been no, I would have honored that and moved on.

  • Candid Portraits,  People/Portraits

    Susan

     

    Susan
    Susan

    Susan is a college student and friend of a co-worker who would come into the coffee shop for her mocha, a little social time, and and work on her homework and usually in that order. One day, after a bit of pressure by me, she broke down and agreed to allow me to shoot some portraits with her. I think she is a beautiful young lady, both inside and out, and had a knack for posing naturally. It was fun. I’ve posted images of her previously and in this image I played around with Lightroom 2 using some of their presets.

  • Candid Portraits,  Documentary/Street,  People/Portraits

    Not a Comfortable Word

     

    Waiting for Deployment
    Waiting for Deployment

    Deployment is not a comfortable word for me. Wikipedia defines military deployment as the movement of armed forces and their logistical support infrastructure. In most of the world’s navies, a deployment designates an extended period of duty at sea.

    I watched these men smoke cigarettes and chat outside my hotel as they waited for a van to take them to the airport. It was such a compelling image I just had to press my shutter. I underexposed the image preventing recognition as they symbolize any soldier. If war did not exist then deployment wouldn’t either. Still not a comfortable word for me.

  • Candid Portraits,  spirituality

    The Breakfast Meeting

     

    The Breakfast Meeting
    The Breakfast Meeting

    I’ve heard it said that breakfast is one of our most important meals of the day and if it includes a business meeting that may be even truer. Mentors have shown me how quiet meditation in the morning will be the most important meeting of my day. When I miss that meeting or fail to be awake for it, my choices and thoughts throughout the day do not have as positive effect on the world around me. Hope you had a good meeting this morning.

  • Candid Portraits,  People/Portraits

    What is Candid Portraiture?

     

    Morning Coffee
    Morning Coffee

    I noticed this man as he sat in a coffee shop and watched as he wandered in his thoughts. I reluctantly interrupted to ask permission to take his photo.  After asking me why I told him I had a project going where I try to take at least one photo a day. My answer was sufficient as he agreed to let me take his image, wanting to know what to do.  I suggested he just relax and be himself. I think he did that very well and think I captured him in his thoughts. Not sure where he was in those thoughts but that is not the essence of the image. He let the camera create the image. Now is this a candid portrait?