He wanted to hire me 📸 I met John “Elli” a few weeks ago near Joyce skytrain station in Vancouver. He saw my camera, and asked for my business card so he could hire me. I could tell John had great energy - so instead, I quickly turned on my BTS camera and offered him a mini photoshoot (for free). After some initial hesitation…. He said f**k it, and we got straight to work. 💪 — ⚙️ Technical Notes: Smiling for the camera is one of the most difficult things for most people I photograph. I always hear “I hate my smile” or “my smile doesn’t look good on camera”. NOPE! That’s incorrect. Everyone has a fake smile that they bring out for photos. And yes, that fake smile generally doesn’t look good/authentic. But a real smile? In my eyes, nothing beats that. So I always spend time making people feel comfortable, and show them techniques to let their real/authentic smile shine. To me, this is one of the most important parts of portrait photography. And it always brings me joy to witness someone go from serious/cool facial expressions in the beginning, to real/authentic smiles by the end. John had an incredible smile - the last few photos are my fave! — 📍 Joyce Skytrain Station, Vancouver BC — #strangerportraits #vancouver #sonyalpha #85mm #35mm #streetphotography #streetportraits #streetphotographer