Just this past weekend, I took the family to the Renaissance Faire. This is my first time going to the faire, and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not sure what I expected, but I certainly didn't know that most of the faire-goers will also be dressing up as well! Talk about photo-ops galore!
Just after entering the faire, I saw this gentleman sitting on the bench taking a rest. I politely asked if I could take a photo of him and he obliged with a smile. There goes one of many portraits I will be taking for the day, and to me, he had that certain je-ne-sais-quoi look and personality that fit right in with the Renaissance theme. It was only much later that I realized that he was just a faire-goer and didn't actually work in the faire! My extra thanks to him for being so nice.
After finishing an entire roasted turkey leg by myself, I was walking around the food area to shoot some more interesting characters as I met this gentleman. Everyone in his group had some special intricate glasses or eyewear that look very interesting. I think he was just about to get a turkey leg for himself when I stopped him in mid stride for a picture. Everyone I talked to that day was really friendly and I think it aided in my own self-esteem to open up and not be afraid of talking to people and ask to take their photos. I don't think there is any better place for a beginner like me to practice shooting street photography. Maybe because this is Southern California with a heavy Hollywood influence, but anytime you get a lot of photogenic people together in a very interesting setting, you're bound to have some nice photos to take with you. If you're interested in looking at the full set of my photos taken that day, please visit the gallery page.
I'll leave you with the story of this little boy before I end this post. It was late in the afternoon and we were walking slowly, making our way back toward the exit. My mother saw this boy sitting under a tree, quietly calling "A dollar for a song..." There were a lot of traffic, and people seemed to just past him right by, not paying him any attention. My mother felt bad, decided to give him a dollar, and thought he was going to sing a little song. The boy put the dollar in his pocket, took out a small white ocarina and his cheat-sheet, and played a wonderful short song for us. It didn't matter what he played or how well he played, because you can tell he was concentrating so hard to give us the best he's got. My mother said that was the best dollar she ever spent, and a wonderful way to end the day!
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