{"id":12536,"date":"2013-06-11T17:43:35","date_gmt":"2013-06-12T00:43:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=12536"},"modified":"2013-06-11T17:45:18","modified_gmt":"2013-06-12T00:45:18","slug":"american-street-portrait-interview-1-eric-rivera-ex-wall-street-trader-turned-philosopher-in-philadelphia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/11\/american-street-portrait-interview-1-eric-rivera-ex-wall-street-trader-turned-philosopher-in-philadelphia\/","title":{"rendered":"American Street Portrait Interview #1: Eric Rivera, Ex-Wall Street Trader Turned Philosopher in Philadelphia"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Click<\/a>
Eric Rivera in Philly, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I was in Philly to pick up my Ford Fiesta for the Fiestamovement<\/a> campaign, I met up with Chris Urie, a street photographer and journalist based in Philly. We took a stroll around one of the major parks there (forget what it was called) and we started to chat with some of the people we met in the park.<\/p>\n

One character I was fascinated with was named Eric Rivera. When I first spotted him, he was chilling on a park bench, enjoying the beautiful weather, while puffing on a nice cuban cigar — donning his Knicks hat with\u00c2\u00a0crocodile\u00c2\u00a0leather on the bill, and some pretty fly looking sunglasses.<\/p>\n

I approached him and commented that I liked his outfit–and we just started to chat. As part of my “America” street photography project, I had my GoPro with me and asked to interview him–so I could learn more about his personal story. What he shared surprised me.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I made the wrong pre-assumption that he was just some guy who liked to dress fancy and enjoy cigars. But upon chatting with him more, I discovered he was an ex-Wall Street Trader and had a passion for philosophy and wisdom. We literally talked for about half an hour, and I recorded about 10 minutes of the conversation below.<\/p>\n

After interviewing him, I asked if it was cool if I took some photos. He obliged. I took about 7 shots with my Leica MP and flash on Portra 400, and below is a contact sheet of all the photos I took. I think #4 is the strongest shot, as I love his eye contact, the smoke exhaling from his mouth, and the nice cuban in his left hand. The reflection of the flash in his sunglasses is a great touch too.<\/p>\n

I think one of the great lessons I learned that day was never make any\u00c2\u00a0presumptions\u00c2\u00a0about anybody you meet–especially strangers in public. Not only that, but if you give people your time and attention–they can share some incredible stories and profound insights. I hope you enjoy the feature below:<\/p>\n

Interview with Eric Rivera [Video]<\/h2>\n