Today, I went to the Hyde Park to see how the pilgrims attending the World Youth Day were spending their time next to the St. Mary’s Cathedral. I was hoping to capture some individual faces as opposite to the crowd photographs from the previous day.
There were plenty of the young people around. Some were dancing and singing and some simply relaxed on the lawns of the park.
I have noticed a group of young men with Lebanese flags tightly grouped together. As I approached them for a photograph, they have asked me to take a photo of them with the ice cream seller, whose stand they have besieged. I took the photo with their small point and shoot camera and then I had another look at the ice cream girl.
Meet Francesca. She was selling frozen ice creams but melting young men’s hearts. Unsurprisingly, with the beautiful smile and captivating dark eyes she received more than a fair share of attention.
There was no other way to capture this gorgeous girl with her vibrant red hair. I had to ask her for a pose, to which request she agreed easily, almost of enthusiasm.
I have taken a short series of shots with her looking at me or the camera. I have shown her the photo and she relaxed her pose a bit. Now I could take few more photographs which did not look posed. She was comfortable and relaxed her stance. She has also turned slightly away from the camera. I was much happier with this photograph.
I have thanked her for being such good model and I have given her my card. I forgot one thing: ask for her name. So, if you are looking at your photograph please email me with your name, please!
Update: The mystery of the name has been uncovered. Alexi, thank you for writing.
Here is a simple street portrait of a girl with multicolour hair. Nice smile and pretty face was enough for this photographer to take notice. Her conservative, elegant jacket was a bit at odds with the radical hair, but together it seemed to fit well.
This movie set like photo was taken near Capitol Theater. I really liked the dynamics of the couple as well as the space created by the guys sitting in the background. My wife thinks the young man looks a bit like Tom Cruise, which further emphasises “movie” like character of this capture.
I’m often get asked how close do I get to the people I photograph, do they notice and do they mind being captured on camera. The story behind this photo should become my anecdote. As you can see from the image, the girl has clearly noticed me taking the photograph. Just a second before this photo was taken I’ve waved the camera at them. The girl moved more to the right to be more visible and looked straight at me. I took a quick photograph, taken my business card out of my pocket and handed it over to her. Her boyfriend did not notice any of it until she has shown him the card and told him they were just photographed
