Waiting and watching pays off in street photography. As I was walking through a very busy Dublin intersection during the lunch hour, I noticed many people standing back against their office buildings chatting with each other and watching the crowds flow past.
I was able to work unnoticed for two reasons. First, these women were intent on people watching, and although I was close enough to hear them chat, I was not close enough for them to notice me. And secondly, because I use a fixed lens digicam for most of my pictures, instead of a digital single lens reflex, I don’t have to hold my camera up in front of my face to look through the viewfinder. Instead, I can flip my LCD viewing screen up, and lower the camera to down my waist to shoot. I set the LCD at right angles to the camera so that I could face away from these women, even though my camera’s lens was aimed directly at them. I photographed them in this manner for more than five minutes, and they never noticed me. Being virtually invisible is a major advantage in street photography.

I concentrated on the interplay between the two women, using the other people in the frame as context. When the woman in white made a humorous comment about a man in the distance, and the lady in blue assumed a look of cool appraisal while taking a draw on her cigarette, I was able to capture the interplay of expression I was looking for. I was also fortunate to get at least four men into the picture – and no other women were visible. Surrounded by men as they laughed and smoked, what else could these women be talking about but guys?