At one end of a Saturday morning Farmer's Market, I stood while listening to a guitarist. I was not particularly looking for strangers to photograph, as the light was harsh and there was no obvious good background close by. But then along came Jennifer. I can't say what caught my eye, but she seemed open (my pet phrase) and genuinely interested in the music.

When I explained my project she seemed a bit shy, but amused, and offered no resistance. I asked her to not "say cheese", but she asked if she could smile. I said that we'd try to get the smiley Jennifer and slightly more serious Jennifer.

She moved to this area from Austin, TX. Austin gets pretty hot, she said, but the heat is drier, and more comfortable than Florida. I asked if she had heard of professional photographer Kirk Tuck, from Austin. Not surprisingly, she had not.

Among other interests, Tuck is into constant LED lighting for studio portraits. See his site HERE.

One post a couple of years ago was of specific interest to me, and should be to anyone who does street portraiture. It is entitled "Approval, Tacit Approval, and Implied Approval and 'Street Photography'" See it HERE.

After I asked, I began to wonder just how large a place Austin is. Jennifer said 1,000,000. A MILLION! I had no idea (although it is actually slightly less). My impression had been that Texas cities consisted of Dallas, Houston, and then a bunch of small places.

So, off to Google to set the record straight. Here is the population of Texas cities as of 2010:

Houston 2,099,000

San Antonio 1,327,000

Dallas 1,197,000

Austin 790,000

Ft. Worth 741,000

Well, San Antonio is larger than Dallas! Live and learn.

Bob