Blades of grass
San Francisco, CA, March 2007 [Click to embiggen]
Chic restaurants have all sorts of stylistic flourishes to set themselves apart from the other chic restaurants. The San Francisco W Hotel's restaurant, creatively called XYZ, has little boxes of wheat grass sprinkled here and there throughout the space.
So when we happened upon the hostess carefully trimming the blades down to an impossibly uniform length, I just had to mark the moment with a picture. While she snipped, I snapped. I think she found it interesting that this supposedly routine aspect of her job was worthy of attention.
It most certainly was.
Your turn: Camera as conversation-opener. Please discuss.
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23 comments:
Love this shot Carmi, excellent and well spotted!
Camera as a conversation opener - on one of my very few trips outdoors this year I went with a friend up to the Yorkshire Moors. We are both photographers and spent a bit of time taking a few shots before getting a hot chocolate and taking to a seat to watch the world go by. A man walked past with his dog and my friend decided the dog was a great subject so picked up his camera and took a few shots. A little while later the dog owner walked back and struck up a conversation with us. It turned out he had been trying to capture his dog mid run for sometime but just didn't have the right camera equipment to get the shot he wanted. He asked my friend if he would try and get the shot. The result was THIS image. Since then we have spoken to the man with the dog and in a few weeks time we are going to meet up with him again...a friendship started over a conversation about cameras! :o)
love this image.
well the basis of conversation is finding a common ground between people. when everyone see's you doing something at the same time, then they all have something to talk about...."why are you taking pictures?...do you always take random pictures?.... can i see how it looks?
etc.
Love the colors here Carmi. I am REALLY wanting my macro lens...NOW! :)
Great shot. i always love the way people come up to my husband, with his bag of kit, tripod and medium format camera, watch him for a minute and then say "Are you taking a photo?"
"... she snipped, I snapped." The words were just as pleasant as the photo.
I really enjoyed the photo of the wine glasses. The patterns were lovely.
I really enjoy all your work, both the photographs and words that deepen and add strength of character to them.
Such a conversation starter....from asking about the subject, to asking about the camera, to discussing styles and reasons.
What a great picture today...the green is GLORIOUS!
Amazing pic!!!! I thought it was a STOCK PHOTO!!!
Another great photo, Carmi.
You manage to capture those snippets of ordinary life that most people wouldn't even think to stop and observe.
You truly do stop to always smell those roses....with your camera.
You always find such great things to photograph makes me realise I need to open my eyes!!!
Lori
Wheat grass is now trendy, isn't it? It may smell bad, but it sure is pretty.
It reminds me at how much Joy can be found in someone elses seemingly mundane. It is all in perspective isn't it? :)
What an interesting image Carmi...the tasks people find themselves doing!!!! I love the way photos have stories connected to them.. without which they wouldn't be complete...
See, this is great, I would have been way too embarrassed to have done that. You got the shot, I wouldn't have. I'm just not comfortable taking photos of people, even their hands. Well done.
About the only times I've ever had conversations because of cameras tend to be what kind, oh, I use a such and such, and mundane things like that. I'm not really that good with people. I freeze up.
great shot, carmi....and i love ur way with words...."blades of grass" was a good one......and "snipping, snapping" play of words too was neat!!! :)
camera and conversation go hand in hand... people get fascinated when they watch u shooting something they wud have never thought as clickable....
love the picture.....
sad to say my much anticipated new camera is now "out of stock"...so I will start looking elsewhere...I want to be able to take fun pics like this one!
What a Shot, Carmi! Very original and unique!
To answer your question - Last year I was photographing some "photojournalistic" stuff for my cousin, Holly's wedding. As I shot some creative stuff though a diamond shaped piece of glass on the front doors of the church, I heard a girl's voice say, "you must be Chad". It was a good friend of my cousin, who had seen many pictures that I had taken during some of my visits with my cousin.
Unfortunately, she was "taken" if you know what I mean, cause that was a great lead in for conversation ;) That's one of the times I can remember my camera being a conversation starter. Maybe I should take my camera with me more? Maybe it would help me with the "Ladies"? ;)
Wonderfull!
Carmi you've got some sort of "cool shot" radar. I like your take on life!
A snipping snap...nice Carmi!
You have a way of making ordinary things seem extraordinary!
I just can't believe that people actually DRINK wheat grass juice! blech
Very small plots of grass. I don't think I have seen it cut with scissors before. Maybe in Japan. Your photos are most interesting. I was also interested in your profession since I do a lot of writing but not so much these days. About one story a week for some newspapers.
This is my first visit to your blog.
Yikes! I can't imagine having to cut a lawn with scissors! LOL I guess it's okay when you're only doing a few small boxes...but geeze, what a job! Waiting tables and scissoring grass.
Interesting shot.I like it!Great details and colors.Good job!
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