Theresa (#594)

I saw Theresa at the edge of Vinoy park in St. Petersburg. The light on her hair caught my eye. The park has a permanent arbor, so it is perfect for outdoor weddings. And Theresa was about to watch one. She knew none of the participants, she just likes weddings.

When I approached her, she was soft spoken and friendly, but wary. She asked if I had a card – I gave her one. Then she asked if I had a Linkedin or Facebook account. I gave her my Facebook name and within seconds, she was looking at my Facebook timeline on her cellphone. Impressive. Then she softly said that you can never be too careful with Ted Bundys around. This amazed me, Ted Bundy was executed for committing the Chi Omega murders of three young ladies at Florida State University. With that on her mind, I am amazed that she even spoke to me, much less allowed a portrait.

But she did. Theresa moved to St. Pete three months ago and immediately got a job in IT. Nice. She had lived in Cincinnati for 25 years, and before that in Michigan, with her father. She had had enough of gloomy weather and made the move. The cold did not bother her so much, it was the prolonged lack of sunshine that forced her hand.

These two images are a follow-up from yesterday's color vs B&W discussion. Looking at many of Steve McCurry's color portraits, two characteristics stand out.

1. There are very few colors, often only two. Almost never more than four. The colors are either a) complimentary, or b) analogous.

2. Each color defines a space. There is very seldom more than one color in a space that is defined by lines.

Now, Theresa's images illustrates my frustration with color. The colors are analogous, and work well together (IMHO). But the space to out right in the image has several color areas. Basically, the background is too busy in this (small) area. I find it much easier to deal with an imperfect background in B&W.

Bob