Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey is for tourists—lots of seafood restaurants with barkers outside, T-shirt shops, candy stores. There are also local musicians who hang out there, and other street vendors.
On a sunny day last week (which can be rare), I went to look for some photos. I had my Rolleiflex hanging around my neck. As usual, several people commented on it. One was a local reggae musician. We talked a while and he asked me to take his picture. He didn’t need to ask twice. Here he is, not smiling and then smiling. Usually, I prefer non-smiling portraits, but not in this case.
I also came across these servers dressed in black and white. I told them they’d be perfect subjects for me, since I was shooting in black and white.
When I returned to the wharf a day later to give these photos to the people who posed, I talked with another reggae musician, and took his portrait, this time with the Leica.
As I’ve found out, going out is always worthwhile. You don’t always find something good to shoot, but, as psychological experiments have taught us, and as gamblers would testify, intermittent reinforcement is the strongest.
