There are many different ideas that can be made visual by this photo. Lots of dollar bills? Yes.
On the surface, this is just a photo of the money-filled violin case of a street musician. Let’s look more closely. He has made more than $25 by my quick count so he must be pretty good at what he does. Look how worn his case and his bow are: lots of rough edges and tape. So either he works hard at it, or he’s rough on his equipment. Or maybe the roughed up case is a part of a down-on-his luck sell. He’s made a few candy bars, but the most arresting and unique part of his haul is the fortune cookie that some generous soul has left him.
A presenter can make use of both the candy and the cookie to great effect and with humor to discuss the vagaries of human nature, the scope and breadth of generosity. Another concept lurking just below the surface that this photo has captured is that of the direct connection between the musician and his audience. It takes courage to be able to look into the eye of a potential contributor and play music with the confidence and élan it takes to close the sale. And it is also a great photo to use for a discussion about the buyer’s perspective: is it emotion, pity, appreciation, or reward for great playing that convinces the buyer to toss in his dollar? Or his fortune cookie?
There is a lot going on here. You just have to look to find new and interesting ways to enliven your connection to your audience with a photo.
