Two Women in a Bakery

Woman from Croatia

When I was recently in Croatia, which is a small country on the Adriatic Sea, I stumbled into a small bakery. A quaint local place, that I love finding when I travel. I noticed two wonderful women waiting in line. When they noticed my camera, they immediately turned their heads. I knew getting their picture might be a challenge. As I’ve said many times, being a people photographer isn’t always easy. Some people simply don’t want their picture taken. Knowing full well they didn’t speak english, I approached them and smiled. They turned their heads again. They knew what I was after. I showed one of the women my camera and tried to ask if it might be ok to take a photo. They both shook their hands feverishly and said, “NO NO NO”. Their faces were too perfect, I had to make their portrait. At this point we were approaching the register, and I had run out of ideas. Thinking quickly I had one last idea….pay for their bread. When the cashier told them the amount, I immediately handed over the Euros. The women looked at me, and were thrilled!!! It made their day. As we made our way out, the ladies were smiling, laughing, trying to get me to understand their appreciation. I found a perfect setting, and asked again. They cordially agreed. The moral of the story is, sometimes to get a great photograph you do it the old fashioned way…….pay for it! For about 5 dollars, it was worth getting images like these.