Flickr a Day 96: ‘Stranger 2/100 – The Constant Gardener’

The second of three random street portraits comes from the photographer simply known as ταηjεεr. The image is among his contributions to the 100 Strangers Flickr Group, which we met yesterday. The project’s challenge: To become a better shooter and improve social skills. Subject storytelling is part of the process.

Self-titled “Stranger 2/100 – The Constant Gardener” refers to Mohammad Nurul Huq, who “works as a Site Caretaker for the historic Lalbagh Fort in Dhaka, Bangladesh”,  ταηjεεr explains. “What intrigued me most was how extremely proud he was for his work. His eyes lit up as he proudly announced that every taka he ever earned was absolutely honest”. The government employee is from Shariyatpur. 

Photographer ταηjεεr explains about the shot:

Me and my friend kept him in conversation as I was taking the shots. I wanted to get a more candid feel in his portraits. In the end, the results were not that good, as he never looked anywhere near the direction of the camera while he talked to us. He kept a constant eye on the watering hose in his hand the whole time we were there, and continued working as he spoke. So in the end, the posted photo is almost a posed one, since I had to ask him to look at the camera. He did so, without stopping work.

In the photo’s comments, ταηjεεr posts three outtakes. He shot today’s selection on Jan. 5, 2012 using, Nikon D7000 and 50mm f/1.4—a fine prime combination for portraiture. Vitals: f/4, ISO 100, 1/400 sec. He joined Flickr in July 2009.

Photo Credit: ταηjεεr