AFP October

AFP October, a photo by Jay DeFehr on Flickr.

Another great face in Capitol Hill.

AFP 9/12/12 1

AFP 9/12/12 1, a photo by Jay DeFehr on Flickr.

With hair like that, is there any way he can NOT be a rock star?

AFP 9/12/12 2

AFP 9/12/12 2, a photo by Jay DeFehr on Flickr.

Keeping it simple. Love the tiny chain.

AFP 9/12/12 3

AFP 9/12/12 3, a photo by Jay DeFehr on Flickr.

Looking fabulous on Pine Street. He rocks those sunglasses.

AFP 9/12/12 4

AFP 9/12/12 4, a photo by Jay DeFehr on Flickr.

I found this fantastic pool of light under a glass awning on Pike Place and Stewart, and this colorful gentleman was good enough to stand in it for a portrait. As a bonus, he demonstrated his fine operatic voice -- I wish I had a sound recorder.

AFP 9/12/12 5

AFP 9/12/12 5, a photo by Jay DeFehr on Flickr.

This man was in a hurry to get somewhere, but graciously paused for this portrait. Somehow, he doesn't look hurried, at all.

AFP 9/12/12 6

AFP 9/12/12 6, a photo by Jay DeFehr on Flickr.

It takes a special face to pull off the fuchsia hair, and she definitely has one!

AFP 9/12/12 7

AFP 9/12/12 7, a photo by Jay DeFehr on Flickr.

What a face! I wish I'd noticed the light on his chin -- I'd have asked him to take another step back. Sorry David!

On Broadway

Yesterday I spent some time on Broadway, while Julia met with friends for Knitting. Broadway, in Capitol Hill, is a lively and vibrant street, populated by interesting people, and yesterday I met some of them. I was so happy to find willing subjects, I didn't give enough thought to their portraits, and I wish I'd slowed down, and given them more attention. As always, my sincere thanks to the pictured.

Tech info--

Camera: Canon 20D
Lens: Canon EF 80mm f/1.8

Broadway, Capitol Hill

Above is the sum total of yesterday's effort. My sincere thanks to the pictured, whose name I forgot immediately, as is my curse, it seems. It was close to noon, in direct sunlight, and I'm afraid these photos don't do her justice.

Technical info:

Camera: Mamiya RB67
Lens: 150mm SF-C
Aperture: f/8
Film: Ilford HP5+
Developer: Obsidian Aqua

Today I realized just how terrible I am at approaching strangers. I loaded up my RB67, and headed out to find faces. About five miles later, I made a grand total of 5 exposures, of two people. I can still see all the great faces I passed by, too awkward to approach them. And I got rejected twice.

I'm learning about myself. I find I'm much more comfortable approaching young women than any other demographic, followed closely by young couples. I find it easier to approach static people -- waiting for a bus, having a smoke break, etc. -- than dynamic people. It feels intrusive to stop someone and ask for a photo. I'm not comfortable interrupting people, whether they're walking somewhere, talking with someone, listening to headphones, or just about anything else. And I haven't learned my lesson regarding taking names. I photographed a woman having her smoke break, but don't remember her name. Must try harder.

Portraits to follow. 

Derek and Jeanine, Pike Street

I met Derek and Jeanine while walking in circles looking for my haircut appointment. They were spending the last of their days in Seattle playing guitar and enjoying the perfect summer weather, before heading south to Northern California. They looked like the perfect California couple, and they were very kind to allow me to make their portraits. 

After I left them, I wished I hadn't rushed their portraits -- they were very patient and gave me no reason to rush, but I was nervous, and didn't want to intrude for longer. I like these few images, but would have liked to make more. I hope I will take this lesson with me on my next outing.

Thank you Derek and Jeanine, happy travels, and I hope we meet again.

Tech Info:

Camera: Canon EOS 20D

Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8

Location: Pike Street, Capitol Hill

First Faces

Today I found the first faces for the Available Faces Project, and learned a few things in the process. I learned that I get a little nervous approaching strangers, and that anxiety appears to completely suppress the Name Remembering mechanism in my brain. The gracious, friendly people above told me their names, and I'm not sure their names ever really registered in my brain. I hope they will forgive this lapse, and leave a comment here.

Thank you both so much for being so cooperative and understanding! I hope we meet again.

Tech Info:
Camera: Canon EOS 20D
Lens: Canon EF 80mm f/1.8
Location: Cal Anderson Park, Capitol Hill

Parking lot attendant, Broadway

Parking lot attendant, Broadway, a photo by Jay DeFehr on Flickr.

This is an example of what this project is about, though this is more street style than what I have in mind. I hope to compose a little more formally than this, though I like this very much. Thanks again, Parking Lot Attendant!

Making the best of what we have

This is my place for posting portraits of interesting people I meet on the streets of Seattle, and wherever my travels take me. These are portraits of people as they live their lives, and not prepared by me in any way to sit for a portrait. All of the make up, styling, and wardrobe are provided by the subjects, and the lighting, like the faces, is available and unmodified by me -- I don't use flash or any other kind of lighting, except what's provided by the environment. What I will do, is approach interesting people, ask if I can make a portrait, work with the available environment to make the best portrait I can, and post the results here.

I realize this is not the best time of year to start this project, when summer is ending and the days are getting shorter, but this project is about using what's available, and not about creating ideal conditions. In this spirit of making the most of what's available, I'll be using a variety of cameras, both digital and film, in color and in B&W. I'd like to provide high resolution files for download and printing, but I'm not sure that's possible in this venue. Maybe someone can help me with that? Which brings me to my last point -- all of the images posted here will be free to copy, download, and print, by anyone, for any purpose. All I ask in return is an attribution credit.

If I meet you on the street, and ask to make your portrait, I'll give you a card with the URL for this blog, so you can check in and look for your portrait. My sincerest thanks in advance to all of you who agree to have your portraits made.