A charming person.

“Are you taking pictures for a magazine?”

She had spotted me gazing at the murals in one of the many decorated alleys in the Mission District of San Francisco.

“Ha! No, I’m not that good. Just doing them for myself, really.”

“What sort of camera is that?”

The big Nikon attracts far more than it repels, in my experience.

“Just a regular Japanese thing. Nothing special.”

“I’m not good with cameras but I used to paint. Until my mate was killed. I won a competition once and gave the money to a local youth center.”

“Killed?”

“Yes. Seven years ago. A street robbery. I haven’t been able to pick up a brush since.”

“I know it’s easy for me to say, but it’s like falling off a horse. You have to gut it out and get back on.”

“Yes, someone else told me that.”

“I love your outfit – the way your earrings, jacket, scarf and pullover go together. It’s quite lovely what you have done.”

“Thank you.”

“Mind if I take a snap of you?”

“No, please do. Where are you from?”

Her natural grace needed no posing, the head inclined just so, a gaze direct and confident.

“London, but my favorite cities are Paris and San Francisco. Yours?”

“London for me every time.”

Nikon D3x, 35/2 MF pre-Ai Nikkor at f/4.