TORONTO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER JUAN ROJO DESIGN

I must admit it, I still take a candid every now and then but they are increasingly scarce in my Flickr Photostream. I think there's a certain invasion of privacy involved in it and a detestable "paparazzi" feel to it. In the words of Michael Grecco (author of Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait): "... I do not use the shoot-people-from-a-distance-with-a-long-lens approach. This does not work and is strictly for amateurs who are afraid to engage their subjects". A lot of people would beg to differ with Michael's view but in my opinion he's right on many levels. Photographing a stranger does not convey any emotions other than the interpretation of the person behind the lens. While some of those spontaneous captures might be amusing and compelling at times, they do not tell a story. Having said that, sometimes the image calls for the right mood and the right person at the right time:

Taken on Saturday, December 15th, 2007 after leaving the Bedford Academy. It was just a few hours before the city of Toronto got hit by a snow storm, which dumped 25 cms of snow on the ground. It was a cold night and maybe the prospect of spending all day Sunday at home prompted this lone soul to roam the streets in search of a pub that would provide some comfort. Again, that's my interpretation, maybe this guy didn't want to go out in the first place but he got talked into it by his friends and he was just thinking: "damn it, I should have stayed at home".