Amir and Me: Venice Beach, CA  

Amir: Venice Beach, CA

I saw Amir the first day I arrived in Venice Beach.  For the rest of the day I obsessed about how I was going to overcome my self inflicted intimidation and ask him to allow me to take his photo.  When I finally got over myself, he was gone!  The following evening I did not make the same mistake when again, I saw him.  Amir was a completely enjoyable person who was very approachable and intrigued with my view camera.  He started with the usual pumping iron poses which, while entertaining, weren't visually working for me.  I just waited and talked with Amir until something caught his attention, providing an opportunity to make this image. Amir lives in Venice Beach with his girlfriend, a Taro Card reader, and accepts tips from tourists wanting to pose with him.  Mostly European women.  As we were talking, a Danish Woman shyly approached him.  Thinking that when she passed the camera to me to take their picture, she would just pose next to him, Amir startled her by picking her up in his large arms. Afterwards I handed her my digital SLR that I use for metering, forgetting to change the settings.  I politely declined Amir's offer to pick me up as well.  We talked for awhile longer after I had packed up my camera and enjoyed Amir's description of the local eccentrics passing by, noting to myself his shaman necklace of giant fanged teeth and red, white and blue Speedo.