Published: 20 April 2022
After I have taken the photos of my first stranger earlier during the day, I still had some time left, and not full exhausted yet, I was once again optimistic about meeting someone else since the delightful sunshine was playing around with its vibrant glow in the early afternoon. Being charged up, I kept walking around here and there mostly within the vicinity of Hyde Park. The wonderful blue sky and the beautiful cloud up at the top, the vast greenery right in front, the paths that are shaded on one side but brightly lit on the other, the lights and shadows, the cool breeze, the passersby, the phone conversations, the sitting on the benches and being absorbed into your own world with a phone or lunch, and the soft warmth of the sunlight kept me going!

I took a few photos here and there with my phone. The park is somewhat full and with that many people passing through those paths, my perfect shot without anyone appearing in my picture was literally impossible. I clicked a few times and then I gave up. I went from the Museum Station side all the way to the St James side and now I am on the street next to the Barrack Museum. Furthermore, in the same side of the street, some hundred (100) meters away there is also another prominent establishment – St Mary’s Cathedral.

At first, I noticed her in front of the law court, right across the other side of the street. Then, I noticed she was heading to Hyde Park via the foot path while I was trying to take a photo of the sculpture and the tall buildings standing there next to that intersection. And then again, the same problem – too many passersby kept appearing into my photos. Some excused while many others walked straight in and an elderly gentleman, however, waited for me to finish and as I smiled at him lowering my phone with a gesture that he can pass, I heard him say: “with that many people you won’t get it clean by the end of the day”!

After a few more futile attempts, now I am also heading in the same direction towards Hyde Park as her and as the traffic lights went red, crossing the street, I came back to where I was few minutes earlier – inside Hyde Park near Archibald fountain. As she was walking around taking photos on her phone, I had a feeling that she might be a tourist. There is this College St that runs between Hyde Park and the cathedral. When I approached her, she was right next to College St – on the other side of the cathedral. As I explained the project and wanted to know if she would like me to take her photos, she happily consented.

So, here is Kana Takagi hailed from Japan and now in Australia for her working holiday who used to work as a nurse before coming here. She also mentioned of having a sibling; her brother I suppose (can’t really remember though)
Japanese people are known for many good traits and one such trait is their gentleness and friendliness. While I was taking her photos, I tried to put some glare on her face to see how the photo turns out. Despite the glaring sun on her face for at least a couple of minutes, she kept posing for the photo as I directed.

During this entire session of more than an hour, she never showed any sign of discomfort which puts photographers at ease while capturing the photos. Although she didn’t speak much English and despite that I couldn’t make my usual fun because of such language difficulties, we still had an enjoyable time. Furthermore, after walking all these hours carrying my gears, my feet as well as back and my shoulder was rather sore. So, we decided to sit down on the grass at a nearby place and as we shared details, she asked me if she could take a photo with me together.

And here we are. The Photographer is now captured by The Stranger. At first it was me who asked for her photo, and she said “yes” and now it was my turn to reciprocate and I happily did the same. Needless to say, what a pleasant encounter it was to meet her! We gave each other a big hug before departing, shortly after.
