A couple of days ago I came across Vincent G., a street photographer from York in the UK. And I thought, this guy thinks just like me! Now we all know how great it is to come across someone who thinks like us don't we? What I like about his work is his attitude and approach to street photography. He's not out there stealing souls; he's not hunting people, not flashing his camera in people's faces. No, he respects his subjects. He considers how they feel about being photographed. I would even go so far as to suggest that he beleives he is privileged to be allowed to photograph people in the street. Above all he in convinced that photography (in his case street photography) can change lives. And we all know that if we can change the life of an individual, then we are in effect changing the world. We are, by our work as street photographers making the world a better place one photograph at a time.
Anyway, enough from me. Gary has kindly given me his permission to share with you his latest blog post. It's an inspiring story and one all street photographers could learn from. Oh, be sure to visit and follow Vincent G.'s blog here.
Anyway, enough from me. Gary has kindly given me his permission to share with you his latest blog post. It's an inspiring story and one all street photographers could learn from. Oh, be sure to visit and follow Vincent G.'s blog here.
Photography changing lives
2
Photography is my way of documenting life, primarily it’s street but every now and then an opportunity arises to do something unexpected and challenging. As i walk the back streets looking for photogenic moments that will tell stories i pass a wedding shop window where a pretty woman sits legs crossed staring into the abyss surrounded by white wedding dresses.
This was a moment i couldn’t resist but also one where i respect the person’s wishes, this is obviously a very important day for someone? I venture in cheekily asking if i could take her photo she smiles and happily replies yes . . . After further conversation she explains she’s there for her daughters dress fitting making this a more personal moment and one i didn’t want to intrude on.
I quickly took a few shots and said thank you and left! I walked away thinking was she really ok with it or did i put her on the spot? I suppose i’d never know, although i did tell her my name so hopefully she’d contact me???
Days passed and i really liked the photo and was hoping she’d somehow get to see it. A week later i get a message on flickr “it was the lady from the wedding shop” She tracked me down and created an account just to express how happy she was and how i made her week, she went on to say that she’s not very well and this photograph and all the nice comments she’d been reading had really cheered her up.
Sometimes its moments like this that prove a simple photo can change lives, make a change with your photography and keep chasing those clicks. “ Happy Easter “
