The Good Samaritan, at Christmas

Rather than fumble about again on dark muddy riverbanks, I thought I’d get some last Christmas shopper shots, having been largely extremely unsuccessful with my street photography.

This guy was setting up a whole load of musical instruments, guitar, keyboard, percussion etc enough for a four piece band and had some of it lined up on a bench in the street. You can see the hint of an accordion at bottom of the frame. I thought he’d make a good subject, due to all that luxuriant red hair but he kept moving around – and I didn’t want to disturb him either. So, I just hung around in close vicinity.

Then this woman, with her husband (?) slowly walked by and then they stopped. I saw the man ask and gesture to our friend here if his wife could sit down, at which point various tambourines and things were removed. Though I couldn’t hear their conversation, it seemed clear that she had taken to being unwell and the husband went off, no doubt to a chemist to buy an emergency ration of something.

Here, she seemed to have recovered enough and was chatting to our musician friend, whose friendly gaze and pale blue eyes show total attention and compassion. I felt a bit guilty intruding, to be honest, so snapped only two frames, then left. This one has a parked delivery lorry directly behind him better placed than the other pic so I was able to reduce its impact by some judicial cropping.

I so wanted to hang on listen to the music that he and his friends would be making, put a quid in their hat, but that could have been an hour or more away and I wasn’t feeling so special myself and with yet another day of ultra rainy storms already sweeping in, I couldn’t hang around.

So, was he a good Samaritan? Well, I’d say so, he obliged courteously to the request and showed devoted attendance to a complete stranger. I felt better, morally – and spiritually, for seeing this, that amongst our rush and mania to get Christmas sorted, someone took the time to attend to someone else’s needs. Good deed? Right on!

Lens is Nikkor 18-200mm VR

Matt was doing a few hours in Castle Cameras yesterday afternoon, for that late Christmas “rush”. I told him that his Blip had been viewed 500 times and was on the top Spotlight spot and he was delighted, thanking everybody for taking the time and trouble. I asked if they’d had dozens of phone calls, in response? No, he said, though they had a chap in to enquire about that big Canon. Conversation (apparently) went as follows:

MAN: It’s heavy.
WIFE: What you want that for?

And that was that! They left. I’m not saying anything!!