I took the Number 1 subway from Penn Station up to 72nd street to get to the restaurant at 77th street where the group was having dinner together. When I came up out of the subway I found myself in a small park called Verdi Square which has a statue of Giuseppe Verdi, which I never noticed! I was running a bit late so I was walking quickly through the park. As I walked by a bench I saw this man who was holding an old saxophone that probably had not been polished for 30 years, but I kept on walking. I probably got 20 feet away before I thought "I need to photograph the man and his saxophone!" So I went back, and put a few dollars in the hat he had on the ground, and asked the man if I could photograph him, and he said "yes." So here is the portrait. I think that it was the patina on the saxophone that first got my attention, believe it or not. The instrument is beautiful because it is not perfectly polished! And stupid me, because I was in a bit of a hurry, I never thought to ask him his name! I love this portrait, one of the nicest I have done in a long time!
3 comments:
I fell in love with this portrait when I opened your blog. A well loved saxophone and a kind looking man who seems to enjoy playing in the park. How perfect at this age.
Joan
I love his beret and his beloved saxophone. He’s obviously been playing for years and he keeps going. Betsey
Thank you both for your nice comments. I wish I had asked his name. When I asked if I could take his photograph and he said "yes" he then put the mouthpiece of the Sax in his mouth and started playing. So I gently asked if I could photograph him while not playing so I would get a better portrait, so he stopped. Then when I had this shot I asked if he could play and I did some versions, but liked this portrait best.
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