© Leanne Boulton, All Rights Reserved
Posed street portrait taken in Glasgow, Scotland, for my 100 Strangers Project.
This picture is #20 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
I saw Petya standing next to some dark railings in her bright red leather jacket and bathed in the afternoon sunlight I dived in for a candid shot. After the candid she saw me and we both exchanged smiles, at that point I decided to step in and introduce myself and the 100 Strangers project.
Petya, who comes from Bulgaria but has lived in Glasgow for one and a half years now, was in town to enjoy, and make the most of, the Glasgow sunshine. She was happy to take part in the 100 Strangers project although she was a little nervous or embarrassed once I started shooting. This was more so when her male friend arrived and Petya told him 'this is what happens when I have to wait for you'. I wasn't at my best on the day either and struggling a little with my confidence, as a result of a pain and painkiller combination with my bad ankle, and therefore could have done more to help put Petya at ease in the shoot. Breaking out the reflector and asking her to hold it for me only made her appear more embarrassed and I offer my apologies for that.
I am an inherently shy person myself and although I will happily talk all day with anyone and everyone that speaks to me, making the initial contact is something I find difficult and is the main reason for me taking this challenge on. Unfortunately this was a bad day for my 'shyness' and I could have made a better job of the portraiture.
The shot was taken on shutter priority with hotshoe mounted flashgun, diffused, on ISO100 and a handheld reflector to soften any shadows from the flash. The flash was set to -1 compensation so as not to be overpowering and I positioned Petya to make the most of the sunlight giving catchlights and separation to her hair. I decided to process the shot in black and white to make the most of the composition and strong lighting without any colour distractions. Post processing included very minor spot removal, iris enhancement and some play with tone and contrast only.
Thank you Petya for taking part in my 100 Strangers project and putting up with me on a 'not so good' day. You have my contact details on the miniMOO card so please get in touch if you would like a copy of the shot.
