Busking in Brisbane...

[caption id="attachment_749" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Busking in Brisbane"][/caption] Well, my Public Artists project is well under way!  I've decided to focus on buskers for now since I only have about 5 weeks left in Brisbane until we head to Europe...  Unless, of course, something (or someone) interesting lands on my path.

That said, if any of you know of anyone who is creating art for the public and would like some portraits made - send them my way, for sure!

I had a great session with Benoit, an excellent guitarist and very interesting guy.  We had a good chat before I photographed him.  I like to take some quality time and speak to folks before I even ask to shoot them.  There's really no point taking someone's photo if you haven't bothered making any kind of connection...

The approach I'm taking is to capture a wider sense of the place the people are in, a solid  portrait, and a few detail shots.  Sometimes it works and sometimes not...  But it helps having some kind of focus going into it.

First of all it really helps you look more legit as you're explaining your self and your project to complete strangers.  Plus it gives you a framework to work with since this is going to be a cohesive series of images.  And for me, all 3 aspects are equally important.

I must admit, people have been more willing to be photographed than I expected.  As an artist (and a human) I guess I tend to fear rejection as if it's something personal.  And in my rational moments I can clearly see it's definitely not personal...  But you know how it is.  You're investing every ounce of yourself in the process.

But you can't fear what might happen.  You step up to the plate and take a swing.  Hell, if you only do as well as major league baseball players you're talking about what - a 20% success rate?

If I could recommend one book to read, get your hands on 'The War of Art' by Steven Pressfield.  It's all about recognizing and moving past that Resistance that seems to creep into things we want to achieve most.  It's incredible.

I think part of my inspiration shooting these buskers is because they go out and sit down in front of the whole world to practice their craft and play... Exposing themselves and their art.

I find that amazingly brave.