Walking Chair Lady

New city, new camera, new format. 

After more than half a year of searching, I finally managed to find someone I was excited about photographing again. This of course, is only partly true. Probably I pass a few people on the street everyday that I'm curios about getting to know or photographing. But unless I have my camera and a decent attitude, this becomes more or less imposible. When my London adventure ended in July 2012, I decided to settle down in Malmö. A small (compared to London), but very cosy city in the South of Sweden. For sure I'm going to miss the diversity of people London had to offer, but I'm even more excited about exploring Malmö and get to know the locals here. 

Eva (93) was on her way home for a well deserved coffee when I met her. Not sure if it was the contrast between her, the snowy weather and the building container, or the fact that I was a bit scared of asking and thought I would get a no, that fascinated me the most. I decided to ask anyway, and as it turned out, she kindly spared a moment of her time to stop for a portrait. I noticed how she kept avoiding my camera lens. At first I thought I was making her uncomfortable (probably I was), so I stopped photographing and went to have a little chat instead. We talked about walking chairs and her daily trip to the city center. Considering the snow and walking chair, 20 minutes is not bad for this kind of trip. After saying goodbye, I discovered it took me almost the same amount of time to walk the trip myself.

The Bamboo Stick Man

For those of you who follows my blog; You might have noticed that CupOfPea has sadly been out of order for a while. Hopefully it's now back on track as normal, with frequent posts every other day.

After spending some time in thailand, I'm back in London, and will continue to shoot portraits in the South London area. This sweet man is actually staring in my blog for the second time. First time appearing in the far background of "Man With Yawning Dog". Blurred out in the background, it was then hard to notice his passion for the sticks, so I thought it was worth a second capture. 

Lady in Apron

I got eye contact with this little, old lady at a traffic light when I was about to cross the street in Chiang Mai. Since she looked so cute with her apron and plastic bag I thought it would be nice to take her portrait. I held up my camera, asked for a photograph and pointed at the green wall. She smiled, and went to stand in front of it, whilst I went out in the busy street to photograph.

The Red Glow Man

It was early morning and I was walking around for hours receiving plenty of rejections from people too busy, on their way to work. The frustration was getting to me, but then on a small street just of the main road, this man got trapped between the wall and myself. I guess he felt the pressure, and kindle gave me a yes to be photographed. When I showed him a preview of the photo, he raised his voice in excitement, yet it didn't stop him from walking of. In a desperate attempt to maintain contact,  I shouted; 'what is your name?' With a turn of the head, I received the answer; 'Michael'.  

Old Man Covering Face

Of Frank's 80 year old life, 50 of them had been spent living in Peckham. Clearly he knew a lot. As for me, having lived in Peckham less than a year, I felt inexperienced talking to him. Yet the more interesting it became. Myself I would describe Peckham as a very multicultural, up and coming area, filled with young people and artists due to the low prices (compared to Central London). Frank however, ensured me that it wasn't always like this. Over the years he had witnessed a lot of changes to the area, both in terms of local residents, culture and environment. If it was for the better or worse, he kept a little bit secret, but I didn't get the impression that he wanted to move anytime soon. 

The Seated Man

Derek(77) was just hanging out on a bench with his friend, when I noticed his characteristic face. It looked like he was about to say goodbye, so I felt okay with interrupting. At first he told me no to be photographed, but he didn't ask me to leave. Instead he asked me where I was from, and he seemed quite interested in what I was doing. After some quick lines about Norway and photography, Derek had changed his mind and felt comfortable enough to sit for a portrait. We ended up spending the next 20 minutes on the bench together, talking about his coach trip around europe, the Second World War, and a very lucky dentist appointment.   

Woman with Invisible dog

In the front-garden of an apartment complex I met Mary(80) and her little dog Kerry. They were out strolling for some fresh air and didn't seem too busy, so I went over to have a chat. My original plan when approaching was to do a portrait of both of them together. However, I don't think Kerry really liked to be photographed. She was constantly running out of frame, fully extending the red leash. Mary on the other hand, insisted that her dog loved to be photographed and kept pulling Kerry back.