It’s Friday, and on the way home I had ten minutes to spare before my train departed.
The entrance to Flinders street station never disappoints with interesting people and sights. Fortunately I had slipped a camera into my bag this morning before I left home.
I have found street photography a challenge. It is an art of capturing a moment, usually without any interaction with your subject. In order to succeed, as a general rule, you do not want to draw attention to yourself. You need to get the shot before your subject has the opportunity to focus on you.
There is also no chance to “direct your models”. You need to capture the moments as they happen. There is no second chance.
So often, we typecast commuters and city folk as faceless masses. That couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, that view denies our own humanity. Capturing the happenings on the street, you can’t but notice the uniqueness of each person. You also can’t help but wonder about their story. Does the concerned expression mean that a loved one is late? Is the train about to depart? Will she miss the train?
As a photographic genre, street photography is beginning to hold more and more interest for me. Not only is there the challenge of capturing the moment. The photos present a different view to the typical images we see of sweeping streetscapes, but focus rather on the people who inhabit them.
