Lomo 07▸31

This charismatic homeless guy usually hangs out around the Groentenmarkt in Ghent. I've seen him a hundred times and every time my photo sense is tingling to take a photo of him.

 

A week or three ago I saw him sleeping at the Emile Braunplein. I literally walked past him three times, the third time he woke up because of some city noises. I kindly asked him if I could take his photo, ensuring him it wasn't to make fun of him or anything. At first, he doubted, but then he said "Alright, but just one!". I asked him to smile, but he said his teeth hurt. In the end, I'm glad he didn't smile, it wouldn't have been such a natural portrait.

 

We talked for a bit, he sounded intelligent. I promised I would get the photo printed and give it to him the next time I see him. But he wrote down his name and an address instead, where I could drop off the print, which I did last week. With a little grin, he finished with "Have a nice working day" :)

 

I'm so proud I had the guts to ask him. This is certainly one of my favorite photos, even though it's just a simple portrait with a distracting background :)

 

• Lomo LC-A

• Kodak Portra 160VC

• No post-processing or editing!

 

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