Gary - a photo on Flickriver

Gary

I met him under unlikely circumstances. I was picking up my wife from her portrait painting group at a studio just north of town and the studio session had not quite ended. As I stepped into the basement studio, he was posing on a small stage in this costume which was a recreation of the character John Steed of the long-running British spy television series The Avengers which started its long run in 1961. He was sitting stock still as any good model should be. I was introduced to Gary, a.k.a. John Steed.

Because Joanne Gervais, whose studio we were in, knew of my Human Family photo project, she asked Gary if I could take a few photo portraits and ask Gary some brief questions while the artists finished up their paintings. Gary said he didn't mind at all, and I promised not to block the painters' view for more than a moment.

I didn't know much about the Avengers show, even though it was an iconic one. I discovered it was an espionage show that ran for 161 episodes between 1961 and 1969, starring Patrick Macnee as John Steed, the dapper lead investigator of a series of crimes. The character was wonderfully recreated by Gary for the group of portrait artists.

Gary, 71, has an interesting background. He was born in Guyana and came to Canada with his parents when quite young. His father had seen what happened with the Cuban Revolution and feared that the same was soon going to happen in Guyana. His father explored various options for emigration and chose Canada, partly because there were restrictions on moving to the U.S.

Gary proved to be a poised and charismatic model. In his own skin he was intelligent, articulate, and clearly held strong opinons on current politics and social issues. I gathered that discussions with the artists had involved some lively debates as Gary is not given to holding back his opinions.

He had worked as an engineer for a major telecommunications company prior to retirement and is currently doing some work for a winery. He is also an artist himself. As he put it "I'm familiar with both sides of the easel."

I appreciated Gary's willingness to accommodate my photo project with such grace. After I asked him to share a message through the project, his message to the world was "Don't be too quick to pigeon-hole and judge people for their views. We must all love one another." The portrait session was finishing up. Gary kindly offered to answer any further questions for my project but as the artists and he were packing up, I called it a day.

Thank you, Gary, for participating in my photo project. You are my 913th submission to The Human Family Group.

You can see more street portraits of strangers and read their stories by visiting The Human Family.

Taken on: April 23, 2024

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Groups appears in: • Cell Phone Photography • Interesting Portraits ☺ [people] more » • Can I take your picture? • The Portrait Group • STRANGERS! • Faces! • Human Faces * • Samsung Mobile Photography • Human Faces: Fascinating Just the Way We Are • Android Photographer • Phone Photography (Can your SLR's do this??) • !Portfolio of People (HIGH QUALITY, ADMIN MODERATED p1/c2) • Portraits and Faces • Portrait Photograph • Photography with a Story • Great Portraits (10th.Year) • Faces of Humanity • The Human Family • LES PORTRAITS DU MONDE/PORTRAITS FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD (No n • Family-Friendly Portraits • WONDERS OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN GENERAL.MARAVILLAS DE LA FOTOGRAFIA EN « less

Camera: samsung SM-G998W, f/2.4, 1/30 sec, 9mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	samsung SM-G998W
Aperture:	f/2.4
Exposure Time:	0.033 sec (1/30)
Focal Length:	9mm
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	G998WVLSAFXC1
Show full info

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