us at work and at play

well... i have been out of town since the 2nd, and i have continued to take a portrait every day, but i have not been blogging about them. so, again, i will try to "catch up" with myself. here are two fine examples of what we are doing here on this earth: work and play. the working man was a perfect catch in the midst of a job that nearly destroyed me (yes, it ultimately made me stronger.) i was painting newly replaced windows on a house several weeks ago (when the heat index hovered around 103 degrees,) and i was not enjoying my job at all. i saw this man with his mask, and i knew i wanted his portrait... and i wanted a break from the labor. his english was a bit limited, but he clearly understood what i was doing, and i am grateful for that; he was another perfect subject. the tennis player was beaming, sunlit at sunset as i drove through a school parking lot looking for a portrait (nearing the desperation that comes with hunting at night.) he said (with a french-like accent), "no, man, i'm sorry." and then i poked around for some reason why... "it's just not my thing." i could feel he wasn't completely sure about his stance, and so i pushed a little harder with some flattery about the wonderful color that the setting sun was casting on him, and the way his tee-shirt, racket, and ball were glowing... i think that i maybe even told him that he was a "good lookin' guy." he finally conceded, and he did so with plenty of grace and enjoyment; i am glad that he did, as this project would not be complete without him.