Ever since I’ve become fond of photography, I’ve realized that I have the ability to capture a moment that can speak louder than words. I used to think that in order to be a good photographer you had to know the right angles, have the right equipment, and search for something great to shoot. Although all of those things can help, photography for me has become an opportunity for people to see things through my peculiar perspective. While traveling I found myself attracted to the idea of photographing strangers when they were simply enjoying life’s simplicities. There’s something so captivating about a picture that includes a subject the photographer and viewers know nothing about. At least it is to me.
I took the following photograph at Café de Flore in Saint Germain, Paris while enjoying coffee and toast with a friend.
As the title, I chose to call this photograph “A mysterious Frenchman with a story.” He had been sitting across from our table and didn’t catch my eye until he lighted a cigarette. Once I observed how gracefully he smoked and talked to the woman in front of him, It got me thinking. Usually, when I come across a stranger on the street I think nothing of them, or I create a vision of how I think they would be. But now that I noticed this unknown Frenchman, I grasped at the idea that this man had a story. He had gone through something in his life that had changed him. Why is he a smoker? Was he even French? It could have been Sean Penn for all I know.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that at times when we see strangers, we are so fast to judge them and make assumptions. At the same time, one can’t help but indulge into their creative juices and create a story about them. Whatever it might be, sometimes we just need a reminder that we are all humans that have gone through different changes, and all one can do is understand one another. I decided to take a picture of him because not only did he possess a unique essence, but he became a mystery to me. I never saw what he looked like, but he definitely inspired me without even knowing it. He was simply enjoying himself just like any other day, which is what makes this picture great to me.
xoxo Pao Fog