When I took this photograph, I was driving around the Town of Ulster where all the stores are with my mom. I wanted to capture the essence of the kinds of people I'm surrounded by. I wanted to capture people how they are naturally without the fake smiles that people normally show when they know there's a camera. This was one of the first photos I took and I was kind of nervous about taking pictures of strangers. The minute I went to take the picture one of the gentlemen said "Smile Joe, she's trying to take your picture." Even though the older man to the left did shoot me a smile, to me it was a genuine smile. When I look at this photo now, his smile to me isn't faked at all because there was a camera pointed at him.
I really like this picture! It's great how everyone has a different expression and makes me feel as if the three people could each be part of separate photographs--almost. Their postures and clothing are similar and definitely make them fit and work together in a single photograph. I also like the title. I know it's because one of the men's name is Joe, but it also makes me think of "the Average Joe." They could all be named Joe. The garbage can not only balances the lights and darks out in the picture, but adds to the sense of setting.
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