[6-15] "Street portrait"

A visitor (finally) asked me who the person on the wall is.

I post it ~6 weeks ago; since then nobody has asked.

It was among the favorite pictures I took in 2017. I liked it immediately, and years later like it as much; I see what I didn't notice before.

The story: there's a place in Berkeley where musicians play to generate tips; to practice for a live audience, to become inured to rejection. So I took my studio equipment, parked my car, and hauled the basics into the subway to that spot.

People came by, the late shift, and I'd take pictures of any stranger willing to stand for the camera, against the grey canvas. I ran into people I knew; I met a few people.

That ended by 2018. There were enough images; plus, I am lucky I was never robbed or attacked. I like all the portraits from the series. Typically I had 2-3 chances per person. (An outlier or two stood for way more). This was a strange period; I just wanted to practice. I had exhausted my friends/coworkers—those willing to come to my garage in Northside.

This was among my favorites. The lighting is ideal, the face is unique, the clothes are profoundly beautiful; the mood from a book.

His friend wanted a picture more badly; he actually implored me; so the friend eventually came over and paid for a photo session. But the guy on the wall was merely a bystander, and didn't care much for the image—a shame.