Benchmark 16 - Old Hand

I had taken today's blip from my usual spot up on the Rows and then decided that I wanted to get a shot of a busker who was serenading the people on the benches. This meant going down on to street level and waiting for a break in the crowd so that I could get the shot.

As I stood there a lady came up to me and asked me if I spoke English. She then explained that the best place to take photographs in Chester was from the Rows and that you could get a clear uninterupted view of the street.

Around her neck was a beautifully battered and distressed brown leather Leica camera case. She told me that she had been taking photographs since she was 15 and that she was now 89. I like how older people love to tell you their age. In fact I have noticed that I have started to do the same thing too!

She said that she had an even older model of Leica in her shopping trolley as it was too heavy for her to carry around. I asked if she had ever considered going digital. She looked aghast and said that she would only convert to digital when she could find a camera that could take better images than the one that she had.

I asked if I could take a photograph of her and her camera. She explained that she didn't particularly like having her photograph taken as in her younger days she had been a ballerina and had been photographed enough for her lifetime. Then she struck and held this pose.

I was all flustered and took a really poor portrait complete with distracting background. I am sorry that I have not done her justice.