I spent the last couple of days up in Seattle in the worst fog they've seen in years. It was a beautiful time there, everything sunken below the layer of white. The characters were abound, I could have shot all 73 portraits just in one day. Still being the shy one, I only approached one man at Pike's market. His presence was both sullen and bright, playing beautiful & lively music for we market wanderers. I didn't get to chat with him, as he went right back into his music, taken away by whatever place he was imagining in his head, probably far away from the fog enveloping him.
Portrait Project/Day One & Two
So this is my motivation, my accountability, & my practice... I am dedicating a portion of my day for 73 days to shed my shyness, delve into my discomfort zone, and capture portraits of the people around me. Yesterday, Day One, I waded into the waters by snapping some quick shots of a good friend while we ate lunch. Today, I swallowed my fear and did not walk past the amazing face I saw behind the flower stand on the corner of Castro & Market... Well, I did walk past, but I made myself take a deep breath and turn back around. I said "hello..." and, I met Josef. I asked to take his picture and he smiled shyly and commented how he wouldn't want to break my camera. We had a nice conversation about our origins, each other's eyes, and his flower stand. I walked away not only with a beautiful face to post here, but a thrill in my soul for making contact with another human, someone that I would have walked right past if it weren't for this project. I was scared before, but now I am excited to see who I'll meet in the next 72 days... Why 73 days? Oddly enough, I was trying to think of a number... 100 seemed too daunting, 30 seemed too little. The thought crossed my mind to make it the number of my birth year, '73. Then I decided to count the days till New Year's, and wouldn't you guess. There are 73. Please give feedback if you so desire, this is a learning process that I hope to gain insight from. I feel very vulnerable, but that's where the growth comes in...
Thank you!
~Shelly
Rob
Hello, You!
Thought it would be fun to start out my blog by posting my favorite neighborhood cat, as we are getting a couple of kitties this week. This cat lives in the coolest window a cat could ask for, and is almost like a piece of art. I did no retouching on this shot, he lives in a zen studio. He is slightly elusive, however. You are very lucky to catch him in the window. I always ponder what he is thinking...
kitty in pink.