Is it worth it?

A few months ago, I went to my bank, and was welcomed at the door by a striking woman with beautiful dark skin. I gave her my card and asked her to get in touch if she'd be up for coming by my studio sometime for a portrait. 

I see all sorts of people on the street that I'd like to photograph, and am always a little uncomfortable approaching them. It can go either way.

It's a moment that all photographers are familiar with. Do we stop walking / riding / driving to shoot something, or to talk to this interesting person? Is it worth it?There are so many moments like this all around us everyday that filtering them becomes a constant process. 

I've told myself many times over the years that I need to stop more. Having the freedom to stop at everything is a real luxury, but isn't always realistic. There is other work that needs to be done. When I started shooting, I wanted to shoot everything, all the time. It was exciting, inspiring, and totally overwhelming. The truth is, the more I shoot, the more focused and selective I get.

A few weeks later, she emailed me about coming by. We spent an hour or so together, and I used a new lighting setup with the key light almost overhead and a a few random gels that I hadn't touched in 10+ years.

It would have been so easy to walk into the bank without stopping, but I'm glad I didn't.