One of my favorite parts of traveling is meeting people along the way and if I'm lucky, getting a portrait of them.
I just got back from a trip to New Zealand and am in the midst of editing through images from the trip.
Here are two black and white images of two different people...
Jimmy. Owner of Wilsons Pub in Reefton, New Zealand.
I spent 4 nights at Wilsons in Reefton (eating dinner and drinking jugs of Speights two years ago with my dad) and Jimmy joined my father and I each night for dinner and then of course beer. We got to know Jimmy as well as one could over the course of 4 nights. I even took a portrait of Jimmy two years ago and sent it to him which he still has and showed me on my recent trip.
In any event, I was lucky enough to spend two nights with Jimmy at Wilsons on my recent trip. He immediately remembered me when I walked in on a rainy and cold summer's evening (New Zealand summer) and while I wasn't with my dad this time, he remembered him as well. Jimmy is a kind and dynamic person who will share plenty of great stories to any willing patron.
A Whatoroa native.
This guy, man, character, cranky old codger, is a tried and true West Coast man. He had a table full of us laughing into the wee hours in a small pub in Whatoroa on New Zealand's West Coast. He was proud that his father served with American GI's at Guadalcanal. He called me, "Yankee Doodle Dandy" with a big grin. He told stories that went on and on in great detail about dynamiting and shooting.
More images to come...