15. L.

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone! We've just returned from a new-year's eve dinner party, and since most of my blood is needed in my stomach right now to help digest all that delicious good fortune I've ingested, there is a definite lack of it in my brain - which is why today's entry is a bit shorter than usual.

I met L. by the lake, where she was taking a stroll with her baby daughter. I took most of the photographs right where we met; afterwards we walked together for a quarter of an hour, and talked. It is remarkable how different the rhythm of a conversation becomes when it takes place during a promenade; there is more space for pauses that might be considered awkward in a stationary situation, there is less eye contact, but - possibly - more trust.

I was impressed by L.'s strength and self-confidence, and by the apparent ease with which she combines the life of a successful business-woman with that of a caring mother (and in case this sounds sexist to you, dear reader: I believe that feat to be just as difficult to achieve for a man).
Of the twelve photos taken, I've selected the one that shows L. from her most direct side, approachable and friendly.

L.: Thank you for your time; I wish you and your family all the good fortune in the world!


On a clear day you can see the alps in the distance.

5. Luisa

Today, I was on a quest. On a day like today, when the city is securely tucked under a thick blanket of clouds and the temperatures are high enough for snow to become slush, Zurich dresses in dark, somber and distinctly grayish tones. I wanted to find a speck of color and try to capture it in a way that shows the power and visual strength it commands. This turned out to be a challenging exercise, because it severely cut down on the number of people that I allowed myself to approach. Interestingly enough, most of the people I did ask were interested and would probably have stayed for a chat, had they not been otherwise engaged - obviously, in my desire to catch the remaining daylight, I had picked a less than optimal time of day.

Luisa turned out to be not just wearing a colorful scarf - she's also a colorful character! She patiently listened to me as I tried to explain what this project is about, and when I had finished, she just asked: "italiano?". She had understood what I asked of her, but was concerned she might not be able to explain her views on life in swiss-german. My italian is worse than patchy, but there was no question - I wanted to try to make the conversation work across the language barrier. Luisa had a lot of insightful views about life, love and spirituality to share - and whenever I was not sure that I had understood, we switched languages. We both tried to accommodate our vis-à-vis, she in her broken german and I in my shattered italian.

I took 26 pictures while we were talking, and Luisa kept me on my toes. Her conversation is a very physical one - she likes to move, and she seeks closeness to her dialogue partner and a central position in their visual field. I, on the other hand, needed enough distance to compose a meaningful picture and wanted to explore different visual angles, leading to a somewhat contradictory movement which had us dancing a little dance. The photo I selected captures the essence of our confabulation and of Luisas lovely, friendly and at the same time strong and arresting personality.

Things I need to learn:
While walking around makes for a larger selection of people to portray, it makes controlling and composing the background much more difficult.

Luisa: thank you very much for your insights and your good wishes - I hope you get a chance to see your portrait on the internet...