One of the things I love about Rome and Italy in general, is that life is lived out on the streets. Friends gather, meals are shared, people sit and read on outdoor benches or steps. Italian culture is gregarious. People are out and about. Sure, lots of the activity on the street is from tourists or related to the tourist trade. But like most world class cities, tourism is part of the very fabric of Rome. Rome without travelers wouldn’t really be Rome.
With that, let me introduce you to a few of the people of Rome.
I love how the cafes morph from coffee to cocktails; gathering spots are gathering spots.
I loved these umbrellas. They were everywhere in Rome.
The woman on the right works at the butcher shop but takes a daily break with her friends when they drop by.
For the spontaneous declaration of forever love. Or, another burdened bridge.
Posing before he hands them to me. ;-)
The street artists. Spray painting planets and moons and other worlds. Using forms and formulas but always with some personal twist. They are art machines. Always surrounded by an audience.
The people of Thailand were warm and welcoming - even when we did not have common language for communication. I knew a few basic phrases and some Thais I met knew a little English, but mostly through smiles and gestures we managed to “make small talk”. Nearly everyone I asked for a photo (simply by showing my camera and raising my eyebrows) readily agreed. They paused in their work while I made photos.
In a small Hmong village, this woman walks the streets with a mobile produce cart. A mini coconut provides a refreshing drink.
in Bangkok, this woman carries a shoulder pole with egg-filled baskets for sale and delivery.
One of many roadside stalls selling hot, delicious meals. My made-to-order vegetable and rice dish was in my hands within minutes.
Early morning in the Chinatown area of Bangkok.
In this (and most) Chiang Mai markets the fish offerings are artfully arranged in bamboo baskets or on individual, plastic trays on ice.
Every kind of meat you can imagine. The meat stalls are all in a cooler within the market. You enter via hanging plastic drapes.
One of the performers in a ladyboy show in the Chiang Mai night market.
On the outskirts of Chinatown in Bangkok, I came across a group of men enjoying their morning shots. They invited me to join but I politely declined.
Eggs are very popular in Thailand. In addition to the brown and white eggs we’ve come to expect, some eggs sport bright colors indicating they are already hard-boiled.
A delivery driver takes a call during a quick break.
Bali is an unbelievably wild and beautiful place. Living in such an area seems to fill the people with their own beauty, love of life and kindness. Smiles abound. Rituals are important. Creativity is a part of life - whether that is in traditional arts and crafts or finding solutions to obstacles.
Technically, Seattle is a larger city than Vancouver, BC - both the population of the core city and the metropolitan area are larger. But our neighbor to the north feels much larger to me.
Maybe it’s the spread of the neighborhoods, maybe it’s because it seems so much more international - while walking around I am aware of many different languages spoken all around. Whatever the reason I love visiting.
I asked this woman if I could take her photo and she readily agreed. Soon after I noticed her meeting up with someone - another photographer. He didn’t look too happy with me.
A groups of friends meet for breakfast on a gorgeous Saturday morning.
Setting up a food truck for the lunch rush.
Assembling bikes to sell.
The kneeling man is photographing the famous Gastown Steam Clock in Vancouver. But the people all around are more interested in the couple.
Spreading the word.
Some things are ubiquitous to large cities. I think all have some form of “Hop-On, Hop-Off” tour, and street musicians.
I stumbled across a huge group of people dancing the morning away. As is common with these events, every few minutes dancers would rotate to a new partner. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves, laughing and chatting as they moved from person to person.
I was in Vancouver for a class and this is a good portion of my class. The others are just off to the left. A bodybuilding competition was in process. Occasionally, a bodybuilder from the competition taking place inside would come out and pose for their own shots. Of course, they were then surrounded by anyone else in the area with a camera or cellphone. I have to say they were incredibly good sports as people asked to take photos with them, not just of them. It would often take them an extra 30 minutes to get back inside.I'd taken a few photos earlier in the day so sat back and enjoyed this little interaction. 😎**From a #StreetPhotography class in #Vancouver. I take a lot of street shots but don’t often talk with my subjects. This class helped (forced?) me to do that. Plus, I got to spend time with two of my favorite photographers, @MyriamCasper and @MassimoBassano. I have a long way to go to approach their ease and skill in the street but I made a big leap forward. I found it wasn't that hard when I'm fresh. As the day wore on and my energy dipped it was a little harder. *
