Last year I was lucky enough to go to Jerez in Spain for the Spanish MotoGP with work, and on the way back we stopped in Seville for a night or two.
I went for a wander with my camera, as I do, taking in the beautiful surroundings, enjoying the warm sunshine and generally people watching when I saw this beautiful face, she was sat on a bench at La Encarnación Square under the Metropol Parasol with not a care in the world and concentrating on a drawing she was doing on a large pad.
I stood and watched her for a while, a beautiful face lost in making her art. I love seeing people making art, whatever form it may take, and I found her mesmerizing. Now usually I am not really into street photography, and prefer people to know I am photographing them, but I didn't want to spoil her concentration so I raised my camera to my eye and fired off just a few shots, hoping to catch her concentration in a photograph.
I wasn't entirely comfortable just walking away without explaining what I had been doing so I crossed my fingers that she spoke some English and wouldn't be too angry and wandered over to say hi and to show her the back of my camera.
It turned out her name was Hannah, and she was an American on a uni placement in Spain for a few months, where she was working on her art degree. She said she had heard the shutter firing but was so engrossed in her drawing that she didn't look up or even think that someone would have been photographing her.
Email addresses were swapped, and after I got home I sent her a couple of images, which she had printed for her parents.
Maybe I should try something like this again sometime! Does anyone want to take me somewhere warm and sunny? :)
Thanks for reading :)
Rob
Tewkesbury & Gloucestershire Photographer
