I walked down the river in Worcester. The weather was outstanding. Warm wind and beautiful sunlight. I sat on the bench, just to take a moment to relax and enjoy the view on the river. I felt the warm sunlight on my face and I just closed my eyes. Suddenly, I heard the music playing behind my back. I didn’t turn around. I was just listening to the sound and suddenly a deep voice came in to join the rhythm. I kept on listening with my eyes closed and I let myself dive in into the moment. The music stopped. I opened my eyes and I turned around. The man was standing with his microphone, getting ready to sing another song. This time I was just watching him and listening to his performance. Not long left, I approached this talented man and I thanked him for this magical moment I experienced. I am glad he agreed for a picture.
On my last trip I went to Upton upon Severn hoping to follow the river in order to document the British land and its people. Upon arrival I found that it was flooded by the river Severn because of the hurricane which happened a week earlier.
The town was devastated and surprisingly, the local residents were not so upset about it. Everyone seemed to be very happy and open. I wandered around the town with my camera and I was approached by many people. They were aware I wasn’t local. I was even invited to the house by one of the residents who wanted me to photograph the view on the river from his massive window in his bedroom.
There was something magical about this small town. I guess it was the beauty of nature and kindness of the people I met. Also, I really enjoyed the local home made food served at Henry’s Cafe bookshop and antiques.
On that day I felt like the happiest person in the world. I met lovely people, I had really good food, the sun was out and I was strolling around taking pictures and listening to music in a town devastated by the floods. So strange.
Few weeks ago, I wandered around Gloucester on Saturday morning with my camera. The air wasn’t that cold. I almost felt like Spring was just around the corner, especially when the sunlight hit my skin from time to time. Everything was coming back to life. I started my day walking by the river. My shoes were soaked to the point that I even didn’t care about it anymore. I just enjoyed the moment of absorbing the fresh air, the moment of silence and the moment of being with my own thoughts. I walked around for hours searching for something or someone that caught my attention. On the route I haven’t seen any other humans. It was just me, my camera and nature. Covered all in mud, I decided to go towards the town.
It was getting darker and I was really disappointed with myself as I had a lot of opportunities to photograph people but I was afraid to ask. I am still afraid and I guess that will never change. I always find it very challenging to approach people, especially when I really want to photograph them.
We all have our fears of rejection and failure. Personally, I think it takes a lot of courage to approach a stranger. We are all being judged by other people- usually within ten seconds. So, how do I make a good impression on someone to make them say “Yes, you can take a picture of me”.? What should I say? How do I ask? Will they say “Yes” or “No”? Are they safe to talk to? There’s a lot of questions I always ask but usually there’s no answer. Sometimes the best way to find an answer is just to take action and do it. Whenever I feel uncomfortable to ask then I force myself to do it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t but most of the time when I was scared and uncomfortable it was when I captured the best photographs. I try to feel comfortable with the uncomfortable. There’s no other way, especially when it comes to photographing strangers.
