#158 Adde Adesokan

It has been the weekend of photographic encounters. The second stranger of the weekend, again not in the strict meaning of the word is Adde.

 

He is most well-known among the photography community for his triptychs of strangers so I couldn't resist turning his-lovely-self into a triptych too. 

In awe of his style, I asked him ages ago if he fancied a bit of a photowalk when he was in London and he said yes. It has taken us a few months or so, quite a few chats but we finally met today. I got to hang out with him and his mates for a bit of the day, albeit slightly hungover. It was great to banter, learn a few German words I will probably never have to use in my entire life (unless I lose a coaster while in Germany), earn myself a street name and take them to a couple of my favourite places even though it seemed the boys were mainly interested in eating.

Things you need to know about Adde? He is the loveliest and friendliest guy ever, loves travelling, eats ALL the time and has a TV quote for every situation. It has been a pleasure and am already looking forward to our next meet.

Proudly displaying his new gear (it's a pretend-sulk really). 

 

 Food tart!

#157 Dracorubio

Roderique is not a stranger in a strict sense of the word. I have known him on flickr for over three years now. I have always been amazed by his photo manipulations. Just check out his edit of my photo from a couple of years back!

Last night I finally had a chance to meet him in person as he is visiting London once again to teach others about what he does. Ask him on flickr about his PS workshops!

I cannot explain how lovely R is. We talked for a couple of hours about food (munching on delicious langoustines and making lobster plans), our love of photography and the importance of stopping to appreciate life. Both R and I, it seems, are strong believers in mindfulness. For those less familiar with the concept, mindfulness is a way of life really. It encourages you to stop and experience the present, to observe and take your environment in but in a non-judgmental manner. I completed a course in mindfulness a couple of years back and haven't looked back ever since. It has allowed me to be a much happier person than I ever was and it gives me the perfect excuse to play with my food.

Meet R.

In B&W

In colour

Being mindful, right?

#156 Andy Balcon

While wandering around Columbia Road, we heard his amazing voice. I shot his portrait and asked for permission later. Adorable young man, whom I would be happy to shoot in a separate photoshoot. In the meantime, enjoy his music.

#155 Yet another smoker

A lovely day out in Columbia Road. My favourite Sunday location. I don't like smoking but I do like to shoot smokers. I cannot wait for my Cuba trip this summer. There will be plenty of cigar photo action.

Guess what I noticed first about this gent! He stood there watching the street so why not? He seemed to enjoy the attention too. Thanks for posing!

#154 Meal Deal

I liked his features. I liked how poised he was. Loved how chilled Golborne Street is with all the people sitting outside, sipping coffee and chatting. He was one of them.

#153 Smirk Man

It was a photo encounter of unspoken permission exchanged through the eye contact. 

I simply smiled and pointed my camera at him while he kept swiveling on his chair. Every time I tried to shoot him, people came into the shot and blocked my view. Portobello Market is a busy place after all. You can't give up easily. His smirk, however, just kept on getting bigger. Then he started humming 'People don't want you to make my photo.' I got the shot and responded 'Oh but they do!' and walked away grinning.

#152 The lady says 'no'

One from last Saturday and my visit to Golborne Market. This elderly lady and I misunderstood each other. I asked her for her portrait and she thought I asked if I could take photos of her stall so when I started shooting her this is what I got.

#151 Golborne Man

While wandering around Portobello Road, I decided to visit Golborne Market that I heard about from fellow photographers. I was astonished that around a corner from Portobello, there was a completely different life going on. So many fascinating characters and shops. The street had a real community feel with lots of people drinking and dining by the local stalls.

I saw this elderly gentleman watching the street from his shop. He quickly turned away when he saw my camera.

 I decided to step into the shop for a chat. He was a lovely elderly gentleman who responded to my portrait request with 'Will my face be all over bus shelters?'. He was disappointed to hear no in response but I promised to make him famous on the internet and find him a date on match.com. If you are in the neighbourhood, definitely pop into his shop and say hello.

#150 Record Girl

I spent a fabulous day out with a friend wandering around Portobello Road and took this opportunity to stop some strangers. This young lady was record shopping. I quite liked how colourful she looked. Thank you for posing.

#149 The Londoners On Tour in Scotland

Hope everyone had a fantastic Easter break. I spent mine visiting Inner Hebrides in Scotland. Beautiful countryside, friendly characters and plenty of delicious seafood.

Meet one of the guys who took me and my family out to Staffa Island on the boat. He was a pleasant character. He was slightly taken aback by the request and the big camera but he was kind enough to pose for me. Thank you. 

It takes so much character to live in the Southern Hebrides. The weather is tough on both the landscape and the people with most living off fishing, sheep or tourism, limited ferry access to the mainland and single traffic system throughout the island, not to mention the fact that you are very much isolated from the world with no mobile phone reception on the island other than one spot where you can get just about enough signal from Vodafone to have a quick chat and it involves you standing on the top of a very windy hill (and no or very limited internet I guess - ouchie!). There are only about 2000 people living on the island but on the plus side they have a very good pub to population ratio or so I have been told by the local guide.

If you get a chance to visit Scotland, I recommend going on the Staffa Tour to see the amazing rock formations there. You can see some of them here.

#148 Sammy

Sammy was one of the people involved in the organisation of The Burger Queen competition. Fabulous and bubbly character, I could not resist the temptation of asking for a portrait.

#147 Barbican Explorer

Another stranger from the series of ideas for the weekend.

Meet one of The Barbican Explorers. He was our guide on Architecture Tour of Barbican. Fantastic way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Now I thought I knew Barbican and its walkways but turns out there is so much more to this fantastic complex. I could tell you all about it but you'll be much better off booking the tour and exploring the complex yourself. 

Some facts get you thinking:

1. It took them 20 years to build the complex.

2. There is something special about the texture of the concrete walls in Barbican.

3. Barbican has the second biggest Conservatory in London. It's open to the public on Sundays.

Enjoy!