I was on a photography shoot in Labrador, Canada exploring the communities that dot the region. It is rare that I photograph people, however, when I saw this weathered old man, I knew I had to make a photograph of him.
He had been slowly walking along a muddy road and I found a spot far ahead of his path; I inconspicuously setup my tripod and made a short series of exposures using my Hasselblad 300mm lens and 1.7x extender (this lens combination is manual focus). I didn't want to raise suspicion so I worked rapidly and then quickly packed up and drove off. I generally worry about including people in my photographs because they may not appreciate being photographed and I want to be respectful; I also do not want to have any licensing or usage issues down the road.
Several weeks later, when the film was developed, I felt it would be better if he were looking to the right (his left) so I flipped the image.
I am satisfied my photograph of this Labrador man details his wrinkles, dirt stained coat and expressive vacant stare, moreover, this photograph conveys my impression of his arduous, true or otherwise; I wonder about his life sometimes.
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