Via Flickr:
My final "stranger" today was Brenda – it was always going to be a brief encounter as I had only paid for 20 minutes on the parking meter at the cost of a whole £1 for embarassing reasons that amounted to not being able to use "high tech" parking meters.
When I first saw Brenda she was standing in the doorway to a shop talking to the owner but when she saw me loitering outside the neighbouring empty shop and looking at her she asked if she could help …
… well yes, but not in the way that you mean ;). When I asked her if I could take her photograph she was reluctant and I think actually said no saying that she "doesn’t photograph well" but when I hesitated she asked more about the reason why and if I recall correctly she relented when I said that she would be my 93rd stranger.
Brenda is new to the Newcastle area and is living with her daughter in Gateshead whilst her husband completes selling their house in Northampton. Their daughter has lived up here for 18 years and I got the impression that they have decided that as their daughter is never leaving Gateshead they would move up here instead.
Brenda has just opened two weeks ago a small boutique jewellery shop called Le Petit Bijou in the Land of Green Ginger shopping mall. We moved inside her shop for the photograph and I was really quite nervous of the lack of space for taking a photograph so I put my bag down on the floor before I inadvertently knocked something over and I eventually found myself behind the till with Brenda in front of it as I tried to get best use of the lovely diffused light coming in through one of the original church windows.
Personally I’m really pleased with this shot and the only thing I would have preferred was a little more light on her scarf to draw out the reds a bit more.
I only chatted with Brenda very briefly after taking her photograph as soon after a couple wandered into her shop and as I really did not want to interrupt her business I thanked her at this point and left.
Brenda, thanks very much for helping me with my project today and I wish you all the best with your new shop.
So Brenda completes my little catch-up jaunt today – 7 to go and 3 weeks and 1 day to do it – the maths are quite simple and it’s very achievable ;).
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Please feel free to provide constructive critique on the technical aspects of this photograph.
This picture is #93 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
99% Digital 