Contact sheets - A smile to the unknown
It was three years ago, on the 1st of April 2013. I was sitting at La Terrasse Sainte-Catherine, a café in Paris, and I had my M8 and 35mm Leitz Summaron f/3.5 with me. I only had the M8 for one month and was new to the rangefinder system. Actually, I was even new to photography.
It didn't take long before I noticed that young woman smoking a cigarette near the window. She was acting with overall style, so I decided I should take a picture of her. I took a warm-up shot to check exposure, then I framed... And she turned her head towards me, so I looked away and released the shutter. Street photography was a new thing for me and I didn't have the courage to cross her gaze at this time. We never spoke. I never looked at her again, and it is only when I got home and checked the pictures on my computer that I realized she was looking at me, displaying a distinguished smile.
