Thanks for Posing

Every week I participate in a photo challenge. Last week the subject matter was “woman” and for extra credit the portrait could be environmental. That meant, based on my understanding, capturing the subject in their place of work. That approach would mean asking a person to pose. So I did that three times when we took a morning walk on the National Mall. The first stop was the Capitol police officer who was standing with three male colleagues at the north gate; the second was a very friendly greeter at the entrance to the National Gallery of Art; and the third was an usher inside of the Gallery. I was a bit uncomfortable requesting a “photo shoot” but reassured all of them that it was for a weekly photo challenge. After I took the photos I sent the images to their emails and named the website. In the end I ended up selecting the police officer because she made the biggest statement, but all of the portraits turned out well. I noticed that 52frames “liked” three of my entries on my Instagram feed - two of which were my favorites, and another of a construction worker in front of a food truck. I never really know how the photos will turn out until I get home and analyze and spruce them up. It’s a very enjoyable process, but I don’t think I quite figured out what the “judges” are looking for. After all, my camera is my iPhone and I’m not really a photographer. I just enjoy taking photos. Thanks for posing!