139 - Doodle

Theme 80.

On my first June trip to Paris, I wandered through Montmartre one day. I happened upon two musicians by a Métro stop, a saxophonist and a pianist, and stopped to listen to them. I got one photo of them, but they stopped playing after that song, and packed up. I saw they'd made a CD and when I got home, I Googled them - the Olivier Franc Jazz Quintet.

Well I saw this man in the photo, talking to them - obviously a friend or acquaintance. I saw his jacket and thought of this theme. I had to adjust the contrast a little in Elements, as it was a grey and washed out day which was hard to compensate for on the camera (I did some exposure compensation but obviously not enough).

I really like the photo, and wanted to post it earlier - in fact I had it ready to post. But I deliberated, as it was quite a clear portrait of someone, and I had been to scared of speaking French to ask the guy's permission. I wouldn't want a photo of me posted online without my knowledge, especially such a clear facial shot (a tiny figure in a crowd is one thing, but a deliberate portrait shot is something else). I resigned myself to maybe just putting it in the photobook I'm making, and not posting it. Then I hit on the idea of putting the watermark over his eyes - you can still see the expression through the eyebrows, craggy face, nose and mouth, but it protects his identity a little more. No doubt locals or friends would recognise him, but that is because of his jacket, not his face. I feel a bit better about posting this now.

I like his pose and very French feel. I like the contrast of the chic casual guy in the background, the slightly unkempt man in the centre, and the grafitti in the right background. I'm happy I got a way to post it but still respect his privacy somewhat.