My big photo challenge for 2019 is to shoot photos of people. Couple that with a self-made requirement that each image has to have a story, and I know that I have my work cut out for me. So I started out early in January. The first project that I assigned to myself was to stand on Boylston Street in Boston with my camera.
It was somewhere around 20°F, and I stood outside of Tatte Cafe—somewhat intimidated—to watch people go in and out of the front door. So what did I see as I watched? I saw:
People entering the café. Looking at their backs was pretty boring.
People leaving the café. Much more interesting to see people’s faces as they left the warmth of the shop—some grimacing as the cold air hit them; others laughing as they said goodbye to friends; and many checking their phones as they walked down the street like zombies. There were some good stories here.
There were also snowflakes floating through the air, which was a nice bonus.
I took a bunch of shots of people coming out of the café, but none of them really excited me. I had a general idea of what I wanted to see, but my subjects just weren’t showing it. Then I looked to the left of the door at the large plate-glass window. People inside the café were lined up at the counter at the window looking at their computer screens, others looking deep in thought, and all sipping coffee. Here was my story, and I got into “the zone.”
Have you ever felt like you were in the zone on a shoot? Have you noticed that nothing gets in your way of the shot? This is the way I felt when I saw the people in the window. I found my Zen in the zone. I could feel myself go calm, and my vision and perception sharpened in spite of the cold temperature. In fact, I didn’t even notice anymore that it was cold out.
I was having fun now, even though just a few minutes before I had felt intimidated. I watched, then “click.” Watch. Click. Watch. Click. I did not take a lot of photos. I aimed for quality instead of quantity.
Eventually the cold temperature caught up with me (I guess sooner or later reality has to set in), and I decided that I had enough images. And I moved on.
Take a look at the image at the top of this blog entry closely and see if you can find a story in the photo. I guarantee that you’ll find at least several of them.
© 2019 Neal Skorka