Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/04/07
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]A pair of contrasting portraits from my almost completed project (to form part of a small group gallery show) on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (http://www.photo.net/photodb/presentation.tcl?presentation_id=52810). The first is of a woman in Chinatown (which is contained within this desperately troubled and impoverished community) who makes her living on the street knitting hats. The other is of Rebecca, who ‹ ahem ‹ makes her living on the streets as well. When I first encountered the knitting lady, I vainly and naively imagined myself to be one of the few to shoot her. After I fired off a dozen or so shots of this woman who spoke not a word of English, she reached back behind her, pulled out a dog-eared and timeworn piece of cardboard on which was scrawled, "May I please sometime have a copy of your picture, please." If I was going to offer some pre-emptive self-criticism, it would mainly be that the knitlady's hands should be more in focus. Alas, I was only carrying Delta 100 and couldn't stretch the DOF amid her shadowy corner. I also wonder whether the shot is too tight, and that it would work better with her array of knitted hats as a background. Conversely, I wonder if Rebecca's portrait might work better in tight. But then I wanted to display part of Pigeon Square, a famous (and infamous) hangout in the neighborhood. Other comments gratefully accepted, Lee Bacchus Vancouver.