For a long time I’ve wanted to take portraits of strangers, but have been afraid to try. I like taking portraits. And I like taking pictures of strangers, but always rather furtively while doing street photography (though I want to do some street photography in the William Klein style of seeking out someone in the crowd who looks straight in the camera — but for another day).
I started shooting around with my Kiev 10 and its 20mm Mir when the Covid-19 closures started in New York City. I soon realized that the only places that were open for business here in Brooklyn where I live, and open to be photographed, were those deemed “essential services” by New York State. I started out with the idea of including a broad range of essential services, those both obvious and those arguably not so essential. I took a pic of the window of a Mexican restaurant where its to-go cocktails were listed under a bright illuminated Corona sign.
A while ago I got an email from the Film Photography Project store alerting me to the fact that they had Ferrania P30 back in stock. I jumped on that, just two rolls, because I missed out earlier. I should’ve got more than two rolls because they’re sold out again. Anyway, I read a bit about it – that it’s quite contrasty along with being fine-grained – and decided a nice overcast Sunday was a good day to shoot it around my neighborhood in Brooklyn.
