Seamus, how the hell do you manage to see these parallel moments/gestures and catch them on camera so efficiently in a split second?
If only I had the ability.
Rob C
Rob,
It's mostly down to pure instinct and amazing good luck,
Even if the Gods are with you for a fraction of a magical second, chances are you'll fail. They say that ninety percent of all attempts at 'street' end up in the bin. From my own lowly standpoint, I can attest to that. I recently came across a quote by a famous street photographer (I forget the name for the moment) who revealed that if he got ten really outstanding images a YEAR, he'd be satisfied! So, do the sums for a career spanning forty or fifty years. Not much of a yield, even for a genius like HCB or any of the other great masters.
I shot this last April, and it remained under the surface since than, slowly fermenting, eventually rising to the top and could no longer be ignored. This often happens to me - an image, which at the time of making seemed terrific, looks disconcertingly ordinary after a few years and vice versa. That's why it's a good idea to revisit old files. The passage of time separates the wheat from chaff.
For me, this picture is a comment on the randomness of life and death. For a great many others, it means nothing but since I shoot to please myself, that's not an issue. Russ remarks that the Dad protectively clutching the child is looking at the photographer, but his expression is one of puzzlement, as if wondering ' what the hell is it all about'. And the looming 'Big Bird' figure reminds us of the absurdity of life. In the background, on the wall beside the mysterious dark figure is a message: SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.
Well, let's face it: there's a lot to be sorry about.
