"May I Take Your Picture, Please?"
On my way to work today I had to stop at a traffic light. Right next to me was a gas station where a man in overalls was pumping the waste water from the nearby car wash into his sewer truck. I guess it were those overalls that attracted my attention — completely covering his body and apparently sparkling white once, now covered with countless black spots.
For a while now I’ve been thinking of making a series of photos showing modern-day and modern-society workers, a (tiny little) bit like Salgado’s “Workers”. So without thinking much I swerved toward the gas station, parked, and pulled my camera out. I would have loved a few candid shots, but the man would have noticed me no matter what, so instead I approached him and asked if I can take a few photos. I’ve never approached a stranger before, so this was a first for me, and I was quite proud of myself!
The man said yes and went on about his business, but he was definitely “acting”, so I never got my candids. If I had had more time I would have waited till he forgets about me, but unfortunately I only had a couple of minutes…
It’s not a great image, but it might look better in black and white. Which reminds me, I still need to learn a lot about digital black and white. Anyone know of a good book or some web resources?