4/100 - Nelson

As I was walking down Sparks Street in Ottawa, I noticed Nelson walking in the same direction, almost parallel to me. I shuffled over to him and said "Hi". He responded with a smile which gave me a glimmer of hope that he'd let me photograph him. I explained the project and asked him if I could photograph him for the project. He agreed and was super nice about it, telling me to take my time and to place him where I wanted. The sun was getting low in the sky and it was shining straight down Sparks St., so not an ideal situation for the photo. We walked over to the next intersection and found ourselves in the shade of a building which was perfect for the photograph.

As we walked over, we chatted a bit and I found out that Nelson is from Colombia and had moved to Canada about 10 years ago. He works for a Canadian newspaper called the Hill Times that covers Canadian federal government and politics.

I was really pleased that Nelson agreed to the photo. Prior to his accepting, I had approached three gentlemen over the past two weeks and each one had politely declined to have their portrait taken. After the first refusal, I figured I was due and that it wasn't a big deal. The second refusal made me slow down and think about my approach. After the third, I was starting to have doubts and started formulating excuses in my head as to why this project wasn't such a good idea.

Thanks to Nelson, I am now re-energized for the project. He came across as a warm and friendly person that I would enjoy getting to know. He also gave me the confidence that this project is a useful one for me.