Shooting environmental portraits

True Fox, owner of GT Wheels bicycles in Findlay, reaches for a tool to  adjust  

the brake system on a bicycle. PHO245/Aaron Gonya

   

 Stepping into an unfamiliar situation can be incredibly daunting. My first, ill-conceived attempt at shooting the portrait assignment ended with me stopping short of going inside the restaurant and taking a picture.  I backed away and had to rethink my entire strategy.  

  

       True Fox, owner of GT Wheels bicycles

       in Findlay

   


 The portrait assignment is a challenge, but not of the magnitude of the challenge True Fox faced last fall when a massive heart attack nearly took his life.  The Findlay bicycle shop owner is enjoying a busy spring season with brisk sales and loads of repairs. But a few months ago his future was a great deal more cloudy.  Knowing when to get help and the quick action of the Blanchard Valley Hospital saved Fox’s life.  A dedication to exercise and love for his family and work has kept him on the road back to health. 

    My challenge is the same one I’ve faced all semester, which is to walk into a situation, sometimes an unfamiliar one and get pictures. What makes it even more of a challenge is that some people, like True Fox, don’t terribly care to have their picture made.  Fox said, “I make it a point never to look directly at a camera.” I admit that his disdane for getting his picture taken is still a few steps above my absolute hatred of having my own taken.