Chefs
Yesterday I watched Obama’s Victory Speech and I have been hit by two things: his words and his presence. For the first I praise his speech writers: they have been fantastic and they have been able to deliver words of changes and hope. For the second I have to admit that the charisma that guy can have is great. Ok, what have these things in common with photography or this photo? Well, nothing really, but they have a lot in common with the photographer’s perception of things. In the last weeks I have pushed myself to overcome some strong boundaries that kept me from doing certain things and the mantra “Yes, We Can” Obama said yesterday, over and over, is the key. Everybody can. I can.
I am analyzing my future, trying to understand where I want to go, and what I can do. After yesterday I know that I can do everything if I really want to; it started with asking strangers for their portraits and will end exactly where I want.
When I ask for this photo the shortest of the two was turned, talking at the phone. I walked towards the other and asked straight away. He smiled and said “of course!” with a big smile, than I made him understand that I was waiting for the other man to finish his phone call and he decided to help me, turning the other man to face the camera and setting himself in the pose you can see in the shot: perfect!
During our workshop, Jonathan Taylor told us that even the people on the street are our models and that we can direct them. It does not matter if we ask them clearly (can you move a little on your left, please?) or simply ask them to interact with more subtle requests: the important thing is to try and get involvement in the shot!
Changes do not come by themselves. Someone must work to make changes happen. You can wait for someone to trigger a change that will involve you or you can take your future in your hands, triggering the changes you want. And you know what?
Yes, We Can!
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