Many were street people who wanted to give advice. I felt cornered. And the painting I produced that day didn't turn out. I took three rolls of film in Chinatown, discovering in the process that the camera's viewfinder helped me find compositions. I also discovered that the best time to take photographs you're going to use for painting is in the early morning or late afternoon.
Shadows are long then, and the shapes they create big.
Also the quality of light is more interesting than it is at noon, when the bright glare of the sun bleaches out color. I also discovered that I caught a lot of detail in my photos that I'd talked to notice on my own. But the Chinatown paintings I did using my photographs lacked something. They seemed somehow flat, too careful, too meticulous. They lacked life.