People I Met Along The Way

[x-ray]

Young mother in the BWI around 1995.

 

[x-ray]

From the midc1990’s in the BWI.

The lady in read was drumming and singing for her church for contributions.

The girl in the window was a prostitution soliciting business.

The young man was selling hot peanuts to help his family.

 

[x-ray]

The first image is a tourist attraction from the late 60’s. Buy a YooHoo for 50 cents for Bozo. Near the Smoky Mountain National Park.

The second is Mr Maynard and his skeleton parade. 2022 shot near my home in East Tn.

The 3rd is James bunch who was a wood carver and self ordained preacher. James was an amazing talent and wonderfully king gentleman who loved and cared for all. From the early 90’s.

The sawmill workers was shot in the early 70’s. I’ve had long hair for more than fifty year and the gentleman on the right was joking about my hair. Yes I still have most of it.

Traveling musician looking for tips. I don’t remember his name but he lived on the road going from town to town. Shot around 1968.

Roundhouse worker from around 1969.

 

[p.giannakis]

I took this picture of this lady carring a boar's head in a car boot sale.



A couple of years later, she found the picture on my Flickr stream and commented on it. I made a print and carried it with me for a few months whilst visiting the local car boot sale and eventually i met her and gave it to her. She was very happy to have it.
Her comment on my picture on Flickr can be found <<Here>>

 

[jpressman]

Wonderful work Vince! You clearly have a way of connecting to people, making your work personal and compelling. Thank you!.

 

[x-ray]

From 2012 in Mexico.

 

[Bingley]

This has to be one of the most inspiring and moving threads on RFF. Thanks especially to Don, Robert, and Bob for their contributions and to Don for starting the thread. One of the most challenging aspects of street photography for me is overcoming my shyness to ask to take a stranger’s photograph and then to stay with the scene and get to know the person, even a little. I worked on this during a photo workshop last September but still have a long way to go. Hence my admiration for all of the photographs in this thread.

Below is one photograph I made of a young lady who was selling juice in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris. I asked if I could make a photo of her and after some hesitation she said yes. I felt like I’d broken through a barrier although in reality it was only a small step towards engaging with a subject.

Portrait of a Young Lady by Steve Macfarlane, on Flickr

 

[x-ray]

This has to be one of the most inspiring and moving threads on RFF. Thanks especially to Don, Robert, and Bob for their contributions and to Don for starting the thread. One of the most challenging aspects of street photography for me is overcoming my shyness to ask to take a stranger’s photograph and then to stay with the scene and get to know the person, even a little. I worked on this during a photo workshop last September but still have a long way to go. Hence my admiration for all of the photographs in this thread.

Below is one photograph I made of a young lady who was selling juice in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris. I asked if I could make a photo of her and after some hesitation she said yes. I felt like I’d broken through a barrier although in reality it was only a small step towards engaging with a subject.

Portrait of a Young Lady by Steve Macfarlane, on Flickr

Thanks! I appreciate the kind words.

I hope it inspires people to engage folks when ever possible. There’s so much more to see and learn that what’s on the surface.

Just take your time getting to know people. I spent something like 7 years visiting a group of Mennonites back in the mountains before they felt even a little comfortable with me and a camera. Even then some never did.

 

[Bob Michaels]

2013, walking around a rural town in Eastern Cuba, I heard a voice coming from the front porch of a house saying "may I help you?" I found a lady nursing a newborn. I asked her to tell about the town as I knew nothing and had never been there. We spent a delightful 15-20 minutes but no photos as she was nursing. I contacted her a year later asking if I could return and interview her for a project I was working on. She suggested mid-morning at her tiny house. The interview stretched into lunch so she made rice and beans for us.
First photo: her hotplate cooking the rice burst into flames so she let it cool off and rewired it using a table knife as she had no tools. But she never stopped the interview and kept talking. Meanwhile, I'm trying to take notes and occasionally make a photo. My interviews normally went 30-45 minutes. Her's was so good, it took all day. I even returned the next day to complete.

Second photo: two weeks ago, ten years later - she and I on a family trip to the Exumas in the Bahamas. She turned out to be the most important person I have met while photographing.

 

[x-ray]

2013, walking around a rural town in Eastern Cuba, I heard a voice coming from the front porch of a house saying "may I help you?" I found a lady nursing a newborn. I asked her to tell about the town as I knew nothing and had never been there. We spent a delightful 15-20 minutes but no photos as she was nursing. I contacted her a year later asking if I could return and interview her for a project I was working on. She suggested mid-morning at her tiny house. The interview stretched into lunch so she made rice and beans for us.
First photo: her hotplate cooking the rice burst into flames so she let it cool off and rewired it using a table knife as she had no tools. But she never stopped the interview and kept talking. Meanwhile, I'm trying to take notes and occasionally make a photo. My interviews normally went 30-45 minutes. Her's was so good, it took all day. I even returned the next day to complete.

Second photo: two weeks ago, ten years later - she and I on a family trip to the Exumas in the Bahamas. She turned out to be the most important person I have met while photographing.

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View attachment 4818921

That’s a great story! You make a great couple.

 

[rhl-oregon]

Oh yes, what joy for you, and for us. All we need is love (and cameras, and adventures, and the world).

 

[Bob Michaels]

x-ray, rhl: thanks. I find that a camera in my hand mentally empowers me to be anywhere, with anybody, in any situation, and ask any questions. I have met more interesting people simply as a result of having a camera. Then, I am flexible and open-minded to develop any opportunities that arise.This one with Yordanka worked out very well.

 

[blindrobert]

Pianist/songwriter who strapped this old upright into his Nissan pickup truck, adorned it with a stuffed coyote, and parked here & there in Eugene, Oregon to perform.

He treated himself to a sheepskin pad over his wheelwell to sit.

View attachment 4817953

this is a great shot!

 

[x-ray]

My wife and I did a 5000 mile road trip along parts of Route 66 last November. We stopped, made hundreds of photos and met many interesting folks along our journey. Here’s a photo of John in his workshop and Route 66 museum in Oklahoma. We discovered we had common interests as pilots and spent an hour talking aviation. Great guy!

Also pictured is one of his old motorcycles.

 

[Glenn2]

Sometimes meeting strangers can have a huge impact on ones life although you may not realize it at the time. That was the case when I met Bob Felman while staying on the island of Bora Bora. Bob had been in the navy and after retirement he and his wife Lois spent time cruising the South Pacific on their sailboat. (not the one in back) When I noticed Bob lugging heavy jugs of water back to the dinghy I offered assistance. The job was soon completed and was invited out to Bobs boat for a glass of wine and to meet his wife.
A day or two later Bob stopped by and asked if I was interested in attending a meetup with some of the other boat people on a small motu (island) near the reef edge. Of course I said yes. There would be a potluck lunch so went to the market for supplies and vin rouge.

Met a lot of interesting people from all over, some from the US, some from Europe came through the Panama canal.
The Leica 3f came along safe in a sturdy ziplock bag so I could get some photos.
Back in Canada returning to my subterranean lab wasn't so easy with dreams of turquoise waters and palm trees dancing in my mind. Especially when the next winter was a brutally cold one and I'd lost my on campus parking space which had an electrical outlet for an engine block heater. Next spring (1978) my resignation was tendered and a move was made to Vancouver Island. Before long was employed doing oceanographic research and boat building in my spare time. There was so much to do besides the boat itself. Seamanship, navigation including celestial, weather, radio. Had to learn Morse code to get a ham licence......
Sadly was never able to sail the boat offshore, health issues came up and my doctor advised I cease going to sea. Thus ended the sea going portion of my work and any dream of riding the Trade winds to Bora Bora aboard my own boat. At least the dream was attempted and given a good shot.

Glenn



Bora Bora



Anchored at a little bay in the Canadian Gulf Islands.... After retirement the boat had to be sold, a slip in the marina and upkeep would equal the price of an M11 every year. Not something I could afford.

 

[x-ray]

Glenn, great story and gorgeous images. Sorry to hear you didn’t get to live your dream fully but you did have some great adventures most folks only dream of.

 

[Dogman]

This guy was in a Tucumcari, New Mexico, RV park in 2015. He was living there long term, not traveling through like we were. I was taking the dog for a morning walk just around sunrise. I'm kinda hazy on the details because he had a lot of stories to tell and I was sort of in a hurry to pack up and get on with our trip. Mainly I recall him saying he was the youngest of 13 children. His father was something of a notorious ladies man. He was married 4 times and out lived all his wives. At the time of his death, he was actively looking for wife number five. Always ready for his next affair, my storyteller said when his father died someone had to jerk him off before they could close the coffin lid.






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[x-ray]

This guy was in a Tucumcari, New Mexico, RV park in 2015. He was living there long term, not traveling through like we were. I was taking the dog for a morning walk just around sunrise. I'm kinda hazy on the details because he had a lot of stories to tell and I was sort of in a hurry to pack up and get on with our trip. Mainly I recall him saying he was the youngest of 13 children. His father was something of a notorious ladies man. He was married 4 times and out lived all his wives. At the time of his death, he was actively looking for wife number five. Always ready for his next affair, my storyteller said when his father died someone had to jerk him off before they could close the coffin lid.

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That’s great!!!😂

 

[GMOG]

Last weekend I went back up to northern New Mexico and visited Will in Regina. He was showing off his new calf and I snapped a few photos. This one shows the strong bond between the two:




- Greg -

Gregory Mogle’s albums | Flickr

www.flickr.com

 

[GMOG]

Just take your time getting to know people. I spent something like 7 years visiting a group of Mennonites back in the mountains before they felt even a little comfortable with me and a camera. Even then some never did.

Those are some special photos of those kids. It's the kind of work I aspire to. I have been working to approach people more, and to create more opportunities to photograph them. The more I do it the easier it gets. I find that people respond to the fact that I'm using film.

I got lucky with Will in Regina. He makes it easy. I spent a night at his place this past trip. Experiencing life there is like stepping back in history. Monday morning I ate fresh eggs and drank raw milk from the cow Will milked earlier in the morning. I'll be spending more time there in the future, for sure.

Here's another from last weekend:



- Greg -

Gregory Mogle’s albums | Flickr

www.flickr.com