This is the final image of a short series from our visit to the capital city of Slovakia.
As our all-too-brief time in Bratislava’s small, fascinating and very beautiful old quarter was coming to an end, we made our way back to the main square, where we would be met and taken to our transport for the next stage of the journey – to Prague. Various tour groups had arrived since we got there and several pockets of people were gathering together to listen to their guides, some of whom were holding up an umbrella or small flag to identify themselves and their group. In one part of the square there were benches and some visitors were gathering together there. On one bench, all alone and with a large and heavy-looking backpack at his feet, slouched the astonishing individual pictured above. Dishevelled and fierce-looking, he was being shunned by other people in the vicinity, who were very suspicious of him shouting and gesticulating. There was no visible evidence in the form of a bottle or can that he had been indulging in alcohol, but he certainly acted as if intoxicated as he was ranting and raving loudly. His one-man protest, the nature of which it was impossible to tell as I speak no Slovakian, focussed my attention fully. I positioned myself as inconspicuously as possible at a suitable vantage point and waited in the hope that he would turn my way and give me the opportunity of a shot. I also hoped that he would not suspect me of trying to photograph him, as I had no wish to become a target for his invective! I had my camera trained upon him for several minutes but his head was moving from side to side very quickly as he aired his views to the world at large, which, it must be said, largely ignored him. As luck would have it, eventually he turned his head sideways and glowered at something or someone across the square to the right of me and held his gaze for a sufficient time to allow me to squeeze off two shots – and fortunately he knew nothing about being photographed! I feared that he could have become somewhat boisterous and even louder if he suspected me of capturing him on camera. I will never know his full story, or what has become of him now, but I hope that all is well.
Tags: Travel
General
Man
Candid
People
Slovakia
Black and white
Bratislava
Portraits and people
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