Seven Thoughts on Seven Images – Part Three

Don’t be afraid of the rain. Never spend so much on a camera for street photography that bothers you if it gets wet. Rain brings out a whole new side of the city and the people within. This particular day was a rather fruitful with this image (and another which will be coming) appearing on my radar within a few minutes of each other.

Adapting to wet conditions is not too hard – you can either use some spare enviro-hating grocery bags to ensure your camera stays dry, or find a good camping spot, undercover.

You can read a bit more in depth on wet weather techniques here. 

This particular image was shot on a 50mm lens on a 35mm camera, using manual focus. After spotting the subject a little way out, I needed to move in a bit closer to frame the image. I decided to take two shots, one “on the way” and one “when I am in the 100% position”, based on the fact I wasn’t sure how long she would be there for.

It turns out, the only shot I got was the “on the way” – I wasn’t as close as I wanted to be, but still got a shot I was happy enough with. This image would be considerably stronger shot closer in, using a slightly wider lens – even a 40mm lens or so would have had a positive impact on the image. It had just been a while since I had taken out this lens and felt I wanted to use it!

The are a number of elements which work beautifully in this composition. The way the female subject in the foreground is looking for someone or something suggests a story. Who is she waiting for? Are they coming? This feeling of waiting has a slight feel of pathos about it due to the inclement weather and slightly tentative way in which she is standing – or am I reading too much into it?

This is nicely contrasted with the group of subjects at the intersection of the white diagonal lines, which adds balance to the image. The leading lines highlight the group, and is supported by the white roof line of the building in the distance.

The final element is the wet pavement – whilst it is not quite as reflective as it could have been, it provides some tonal contrast of the solid ground.