Woman Pushing Stroller. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A woman pushing a child in a stroller in a cross walk, New York City

Perhaps intuitively I have been making quite a few street photographs at cross walks, either while waiting for the light to change or while crossing the street. I think I need to be more conscious of this situation and the reasons it can work. For one thing, I stop at cross walks. While I do photograph as I’m “on the move,” the pause gives me an opportunity to scan my surroundings a bit more intently. In addition, there are usually other people collecting at the corner and waiting to cross — it might be an individual or it could be a small crowd. Also, when people are crossing they tend to (at least most of the time) be focused on their progression across the street and perhaps are less aware of me. Finally, the cross walk itself can provide an interesting visual context, especially the newer striped design.

This photograph is a bit hard to fully explain. There’s something about the black-attired woman and her unusual white sunglasses, along with her position as she looks toward the right side of the frame. The child seems completely inert, almost like luggage in the stroller. And, again, there are those alternating stripes of pavement and white paint.

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 and Amazon.
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