Being Polite

I was in Milan, Italy. I was photographing the general managers of a major corporation in the major cities of Italy.

This was Guido—sweet guy, extremely polite, which was the problem, but I didn’t understand that at the time. I was free to shoot anywhere and any way I liked. I thought the Galleria, a very high, glass-covered arcade with shops and wonderful light, would work. It was a symbol of Milan. I would relate Guido to the Galleria.

The only problem was that when I placed Guido where I wanted him and turned to go shoot from a distance, I would turn back and Guido would be standing right next to me.

You’ve probably figured out already that Guido spoke a very fragmented, fractured English, and I, being American, spoke no Italian. ...

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