A girl crosses Togetsu Bridge after the typhoon.

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A tourist poses for me in Kyoto

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This is Reika, she is an office worker from Japan. She was travelling in Kyoto with three friends from another prefecture. They were looking for someone to help them take photos of the group so I offered. This gave me an opportunity to start a conversation of sorts. However, it is difficult to get beyond the basics. As well as being shy, Japanese women are quite private and it would be considered rude, and a bit strange, to press for too much information early on.

Reika stood out from the group. I liked the way her hair and clothes complemented each other, and she had a friendly face. She was relaxed and didn't mind me taking photos. One of the things I have learn't so far is that the attitude of the model reflects my demeanor. As I am becoming more comfortable approaching people they are in turn becoming more relaxed in front of the camera.

Finally I have a portrait that is in focus. This was shot at f4 to give me a broader focal plane. One thing about doing street portraits is that the model (and myself) don't really stand very still.

Thanks Reika for letting me photograph you for this project. I hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip.

This picture is my fourth submission in the 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
This is also my fourth submission to the Human Family Group www.flickr.com/groups/thehumanfamily/

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A woman walks past a construction site in Kyoto, Japan.

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A Japanese girl stops for me in Gion

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