Lyle Owerko brings us this photo and this story…

“One February afternoon while meeting my friend Ian in Chelsea for lunch we walked past these guys dressed in black holding these amazing old cameras. I immediately turned around and asked them if I could take their portrait. The guy on the left asked Ian “if I was good?” while nodding in the direction my camera (it was a small 35mm). Ian in his heavy Aussie accent said “yeah, he is”. The guy turns to me and says “you’ve got one shot”. That’s the shot I got. I found the guy in the left of the image by bumping into him again a year later in Tribeca. His name is Louis, we’ve had coffee a few times since. He’s shoots on the street every day with his vintage Graflex Speed Graphic camera. He uses it to sell Polaroids to tourists that he photographs posing in front of the  New York landmarks. He’s definitely a hustler, and has so many amazing stories (always delivered with a knowing wink in his eye). He is one of my favorite New York characters.”

One response to “YOU’VE GOT ONE SHOT”

  1. GW Avatar

    This portrait’s great, especially the expression of the guy on the left. The story is just icing on the cake!