Inconnu

My Inconnu for the week. Pretty happy with this one. I was walking down the street anxious to get home and break into a freshly bought pastry when this man stopped me and asked me if I had any extra cash so he could get something to eat. I've seen him around town a lot. I proposed a trade - some cash for a portrait.
He was happy to oblige but said he wasn't sure he photographed well anymore - he's 72. I had him fooled for about a minute before the "You're not French?" question made its appearance. When I told him I was American he said "America shouldn't bother with the was in Afganastan - The Russians have been there trying for as long as I can remember and it hasn't gotten them anywhere."
I just smiled....

On a camera note: I have been reading my manual for the D90 (first time ever for anything) because I wasn't getting the effects (effects? Franny? I can never remember if its a or e) that I wanted. I changed my metering system (matrix to spot) and a whole slew of other things that determine the way colors and contrast are captured and recorded and I think that has helped a lot. Before - with the matrix - the camera was metering off a grid of 13 points and then suggesting the best exposure so that the most things possible would be exposed correctly - and well frankly that's not what I wanted. When I'm taking portraits like this I couldn't give a fig if the background is correctly exposed - its the person I'm concerned with. I find it less distracting and more aesthetically pleasing to have a blown out background like this actually. What do you think? Not for every situation of course - but for busy cities with trashcans and people walking by it seems better to not have all that exposed correctly and detracting from the subject.
Whats sooo nice about the D90 is that all the functions that I changed can be accessed on the body (also in menus of course) so I can easily press a button, spin a dial, and change things back based on the situation. Loving this camera more and more as I get to know it better. Ok enough camera gush - look for more inconnu portraits next week!