"Old and New"
Last night we met some friends for dinner down in the Bishop Arts district in Oak Cliff. This is a funky neighborhood that has been totally revitalized over the past several years. It has gone from a run down section of town to a lively hot spot for specialty shops and dining. For those of you not from Texas, Oak Cliff is home to the Texas Theater, famous for being the location where Lee Harvey Oswald was apprehended after the shooting of President John F. Kennedy.
Last night there was a huge street fair going on to celebrate Bastille Day. The streets were lined with weldors selling French cuisine, various beverages, craftsmen and there was also a variety of entertainment - everything from musicians to jugglers.
One of the assignments I am working on this month for my photography class is street photography. I don't feel very comfortable photographing strangers and I feel even less comfortable asking them if they would mind of they take their picture. But, I knew this would be a great opportunity to give it a try. I opted for the paparazzi style of photography - shoot quickly and hope that you get something good without being noticed. Generally this involves literally "shooting from the hip."
I thought the woman above was interesting for several reasons. I liked her eyes. I also liked all the shapes here - the stripes in her hat and shirt with the circles on her umbrella. The "baby bump" provided a nice contrast of mom as older life and baby as the new. Because this image was taken on the sly, it is not as sharp as I would like it. I added the sepia tones in post processing to further play on the old look of a new photo.
The next image right now is the best one I have thus far for the photo assignment for the class.
"Bastille, Bands and Beer"
The expression on this woman's face is much more serious than the situation deserved. The gentleman is putting a wristband on for her that says that she is of age to buy and consume alcohol so that she doesn't have to continually show her "credentials" each time she purchases a drink.
