2nd Steve

I noticed Steve as I entered the Barnes & Noble in Sarasota.  He was sitting against the outside wall on top of a small bundle of his belongings. 

I introduced myself by telling him that I thought he had an interesting face and asked permission to photograph him for the 100 Strangers Project.  Before he agreed, Steve told me he was low on smokes and needed a dollar to buy a second pack.  He assured me that smoking was his only vice by saying “I don’t do drugs or alcohol and I have been smoking for 40 years, ever since I was 13 years-old.”

I call this portrait 2^nd Steve because I photographed another Steve just a couple of weeks ago.  This Steve is # 11, in my ‘100 Strangers Project’.  Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group

https://www.flickr.com/groups/342582@N20/

Steve has lost touch with his mother and brother ever since he has been out on the streets, which he attributes to ‘mental issues’ caused by being abused as a child.  He was raised in Englewod, Florida a short distance from the Sarasota streets he now calls home.  Steve made a point of telling me that his great-grandmother was Italian and that he was 1/16 American Indian.

Check out my Flickr page at:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vincentveneruso/

This portrait of Dumi is # 10, in my ‘100 Strangers Project’.  Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group

https://www.flickr.com/groups/342582@N20/

I first noticed this man because he was walking with a very distinctive, corkscrew cane.  When I approached him I was greeted by gleaming eyes and a friendly smile. 

After introductions, as we conversed, it became clear that, not only was he friendly, but he had an extremely keen intellect.  Dumi told me that he was a scientist working in the pharmaceutical industry in New Delhi, India until he was pressured to seek retirement.

He noted with a hint of sadness that neither of his two daughters had the desire to follow in his footsteps and had chosen instead to follow careers in the field of finance.

It wasn’t until Dumi told that he was 95 years-old that the full impact of this remarkable man hit me.  It is with total respect and awe, I say to him, “Namaste, Uncle!”  

     Meet Bob B.  Bob is an interesting man, since retiring from HP he has become quite an accomplished photographer.  He takes great bird, wildlife and landscape photos, and is not afraid of trying something new – like street photography. 

     This photo of Bob was taken at the Bradenton City Pier after a morning of shooting horseback riders in the waters of Palma Sola Bay in Manatee County.  As we relaxed under the shade of the gazebo, the conversation turned to street photography and Bob decided to give me a ‘face’ for my portraits.

     I like this photo of him because it captures the boyish mischief still very much alive in his 78 year-old body.  Bob has been a great help with the technical aspects of my camera and images, and an example that energy does not necessarily diminish with age, nor does creativity!

Portrait of a Portrait Artist

 Jacqueline Fay an extremely talented street portrait photographer whose work has been an inspiration to me.

Steve

            This portrait is # 9, in my ‘100 Strangers Project’.  Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group

https://www.flickr.com/groups/342582@N20/

          Steve was a scary looking guy who accompanied a beautiful young woman, Lisa, to a horseback riding event on the shores of Palma Sola Bay, Florida.

          I first noticed Steve’s girlfriend, because she had some interesting tattoos on her arms and legs.  Steve stood back while his girlfriend was helped onto a horse for her adventure.  That’s when I stepped forward to ask Steve if I could take his photo.  He smiled and readily agreed.

          Steve and Lisa are visiting from Melbourne, Florida where Lisa is the proprietor of a tattoo and body piercing parlor called the Alternative Connection.  Since I was there with a few photo buddies, I explained to Steve that we were out for the day to shoot the riders in the surf, but that Lisa’s tattoos had attracted my eye.  Steve immediately invited me and my friends to visit the tattoo parlor to take photos of the activities there.  He assured me that the artists would be happy to be photographed and most of their clients would be as well.

          Okay, I am intrigued, so now we are planning an outing across the state!

Secretary of the Barcelona, Spain chapter of the Gungighters MC

This man is the secretary of the Barcelona, Spain chapter of the Gunfighters MC, an all male motorcycle club made of of current and retired law enforcement officers from the US and around the world.  Although communication was halting because of language, we managed to communicate with the help of a French member of the Gunfighteers.