Following the Light, photography with Mary: Island in the sun

"I see woman on bended knee
cutting cane for the family,
I see man at the waterside
casting nets at the surging tide."

I had the words of this song, sung by Harry Belafonte quoted to me today by 1 of Cobh's best known fishermen.
I had asked Mick Taft if I could photograph him ages ago, about a year ago i'd say. I was in the middle of a course i was doing and Portraiture was a module i needed to cover. I kept missing Mick. Anytime i was out and about with my camera he wasn't around and when i did meet him I didn't have my camera with me. I got lots of portraits of the characters in the town but i really wanted Mick Taft. He's an over the bridger like myself, originally from Donegal like my mother. (anybody born and reared outside Cobh will always be known as an over the bridger).

Today was beautiful, the sun was shining and it was so warm. I had a few things to do down town so I headed off and because it was so bright and sunny I brought my camera. As I was walking along the town, by the sea front, I spotted Mick's trawler at the slip by the Camber. He was at the waterside washing out his fish boxes. There was no escape route for him. I won't say he was a willing participant but he is a gentleman and he didn't refuse when i asked him if I could take a few pictures. That's when he quoted the Harry Belafonte song to me. I was organising my camera on bended knee and he was at the water's edge washing fish boxes, not casting nets.

I sat on the slip adjusting my camera and chatting with him and spent a lovely 20 minutes or so in his company. We chatted about boats, the internet, Donegal, The song "Island in the sun", our families, fishing in the harbour and more besides. The tide was coming in and i felt like a mermaid sitting there with the water almost at my feet. Mick doesn't bother with the internet though he is aware of the benefits. I was writing the name of the song and the singer of "Island in the sun" into my iPhone so that i could remember it later and i felt like such an egit that i wouldn't be able to remember it otherwise.

Talking to Mick while randomly talking photographs made me realise how much i love this type of photography. There is absolutely no money to be made in it but you couldn't put a price on an experience like this. People like Mick are the salt of the earth, and being in his company this morning was an honour and a privilege.