I’m a fan of posed street portraits. They’re really interesting because they take some courage to approach someone you don’t know and ask them to pose for you. And it’s not just about the pose, it’s also about connecting with your subject and showing them how you feel about them. I find them really rewarding.
I encourage our fellow members to share their street portraits of other people here.
The only rule is that you can’t have known the subject before you make your portrait.
There must have been some sort of party/event yesterday. This young zombie-looking lady was travelling with her friends and I could not stop myself from asking to make a portrait of her. I did not have a chance to make her portrait in a better environment/background, but I still liked it.
Hope
Hope (not her real name) and her dog Isis (she stresses that the dog is named for the Egyptian goddess, not for the terrorist group) live on the streets of New Orleans, and drift in and out of the French Quarter between certain corners. She arranged her space, her dog and herself in the pose and background of her choice. When I was in New Orleans more regularly, I formed relationships with some of the people I met in the Quarter - the street performers, the musicians, the homeless, the artists - and when I got a good photo of them I took them a print.
Living on the streets is a tough life. I’m glad she appears generally healthy. Sometimes, there’s a fine line between being well and trapped in a downward spiral. I avoid taking photos of homeless people for ethical reasons, but I’m not entirely against it. I liked your photo because it gives me hope for her. I’m sure she’ll improve in the future, at least she’ll have a safe place to live with a roof over her head.
St. George's day celebrations.
This is one of my favorite street portraits. Helen's father took me under his wing when I was exploring the streets of Coxen Hole on Roatan Island in Honduras, even though I told him up front that I had no cash, and he was not the kind of official guide who could take a credit card. He proudly showed me his little city, where he knew everyone and everyone knew him. He insisted that I must meet his daughter Helen, who was in school, but he pulled her from her class and asked that I take her picture right there in the school's courtyard.
