Street .....

..... portraits.

Those of you who read last Friday's blip about people watching will know that I have been wanting to have a go at some street portrait photography for some time, but have been finding it difficult to pluck up the courage and ask people if I can take their photo. Street photography, where you take photos of random strangers without any interaction is one thing, but going up to a stranger in the street and pursuading them to let you take a portrait photo of them is another thing all together.

This afternoon I've been in Leeds again and after a bit of encouragment via email from LeeAnne I decided to pluck up the courage to ask some strangers if I could take their photo. The first was a lady in a pet shop in Leeds market, who was buying a walking harness for her pet Bearded Dragon lizard ( I hadn't realised people took lizards for walks ). The lady had taken her bearded dragon ( called Pheonix ) along to try on ferret harnesses and after a bit of a chat with her I asked if she would mind me taking a photo of the two of them. She said yes and I got the photo.

The next person I asked was the chap I have blipped called Al. He was stood outside a shop on the Headrow waiting for his kids, but before I got near enough to ask him for a photo his family had come out of the shop and he had crossed the road. He seemed too interesting a person to let go, so I followed him over the road and caught up with him outside the St John's shopping center.

I put on my best smile, asked if he would mind me taking a photo of him, and after a cautious ' what for ?' from him I explained I was having a go at taking street portraits today. he was happy to pose and even asked if I prefered pipe in or out ( as if he needed to ask ;-) ).

I took a couple more portraits today, but none that compared to the first two great British eccentrics. Now that I've plucked up the courage, I'm definately going to have another go at some more street portraits soon. So today's blip is .....


..... Street portraits.