Back in the day, this old Japanese fella clearly wasn’t your average salaryman, as he speaks both English and Italian. Time, however, marches on regardless, and nowadays his past is of no interest whatsoever to those who pass him.
Photographs from a small group of islands
Back in the day, this old Japanese fella clearly wasn’t your average salaryman, as he speaks both English and Italian. Time, however, marches on regardless, and nowadays his past is of no interest whatsoever to those who pass him.
DavidT says
Poor old guy but sounds like he must’ve had an interesting life?
Lee says
Yes, it would seem that way. He seemed liked a genuinely lovely fella too.
cdilla says
You have really caught something of his history in his face and in your few words.
In Ray Bradbury’s “Dandelion WIne” the children sit and listen to an old man’s stories of his past. Their presence brightens his day and the recounting of his memories enriches their lives. The older boy comes to realise older people can give things no-one else can, and in general that everything you could want can be found in interraction with people. The lad still isn’t convinced old people were ever children though, and I guess, when I was young, neither did I.
Your photograph evokes some of those feelings, and sadness that not every old person or child comes to benefit that way.
Lee says
Thanks. And thanks even more for detailing the thoughts the photograph provoked. Reading those words not only makes me happy that the photo prompted them, but they also add an awful lot to both the resultant image, and my brief, but also very pleasant interaction with the subject himself.
john says
I like how the umbrella matches the white of his T shirt and grey of his trousers.
The downward look of his eyes draws you down to all that is going on around it ; those very dark shadows (again) and the intriguing trail .. maybe Dandelion Wine.
Lee says
Thank you. Yeah, a lot of things came together nicely with this one. Those matching colours and shadows I’m particularly pleased with. And the intriguing trail is a mystery, which is perhaps for the best…