Crosswalk People. © Copyright 2022 G Dan Mitchell.
Pedestrians enter a crosswalk in Manhattan.
The thought process behind a photograph like this one is hard to explain, perhaps partly because such photographs are often made instantaneously and with virtually no time for careful thought or planning. They happen almost purely instinctively when I see something in the scene that I react to, but without time to ponder what that “something” is. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance that I made this photograph without even raising the camera to my eyes, or at least without time to really look. If I had waited… the moment would have been gone. I think I’m attracted initially to something in the patterns in the scene, though in retrospect I think the image is a bit more complicated to parse.
Most photography — even landscape photography, despite what some will claim — often involves split-second intuitive decisions about subjects and scenes that are completely ephemeral. It is a matter of “make the exposure now or don’t make it at all.” One thing I like about street photography is that it requires me to make these judgments quickly, and I think that hones my ability to see subjects and compositions — even when they are standing still!
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.
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