DAY 100

I spend a considerable amount of time indulging in my passion for street photography. Part of the charm of street photography is capturing absolute strangers in frames that is universally familiar in its pathos.

I have discovered time and again that people from a certain class (read lower economic class, not so literate etc etc) have less inhibitions and are more open to letting their pictures taken. They are more giving and forgiving.

However, if you walk down a street in the upscale part of the city and start clicking pictures, soon you will have a lot of people objecting to it. And they are not so giving and forgiving.

I understand that they have valid reasons and doubts. Why is this woman taking my picture? How can she do it? Where is she going to use it? Will she digitally remove my clothes? (yes people do think those things you know) Will my face be attached to the voluptuous Shakeela's body and circulated amongst the pornistas of the world? so on and so forth....And they are completely justified in their doubts and in their asking and in their protesting....

Having said that I am wondering about an entirely strain of thought here. I can walk up to absolute strangers and ask them to pose for me. Chances are if they are from a certain background they would say yes and if they are from upmarket areas they would either say no or will bombard me with umpteen questions before reluctantly posing for me.

Once there was a cobbler on the road. I was in the car when in passing his face, so full of character, caught my attention. I reversed my car, stopped in front of him and asked him whether I could take a picture. And he happily agreed and even spruced himself and his shop for the picture. Just like the corn seller in this picture. I did not ask him, but he knew I was taking his picture. I was obviously not so invisible with my 70-300mm lens. We acknowledged each other with a nod and he went about doing his work while I continued doing mine.

I have also had instances of people stopping me from taking their picture and I have always respected it.

I wonder what makes a certain section of people uninhibited and more open and more trusting of the world than the rest. Sometimes I wish I was like them, but sadly I am more often than not at this end of the spectrum.