It happens every day. I walk, camera slung over my shoulder as I do, and am asked by complete strangers to take their photograph. The phrase used is 'take me a card', a card being a jimbo print.

Now my wife would be lucky to get a few jumbos prints for Christmas. In fact that is what she is getting so I hope she doesn't read this. The chances are I will never see these people again. I have been taking pictures of people who ask for more than a decade now, and am now putting them into publishable form.

And the title? 'Take Me a Card'

There are times when a book should not be judged by the cover. And thinking back on the situation when this photograph was made I realised that it was not only the physical attribute of the man that made me realise he is in fact not a man. He is a gentleman.

I was reminded of this characteristic during an assignment this week. I was driving in a rural area, the kind of place where complete strangers smile and wave. The reaction is honest and open.

I was taking a short cut which turned out to be a dead end, and waved at a man who was pushing a barrow. In hindsight I realise the man was old and the barrow heavy, but he put down the barrow on uneven ground smiling, and waved at this strange person heading down a dead end.

While living in the city has challenges I think that I will stop and smile and wave more.