22-SEP-2011
A mind of her own, Sayousi, Ecuador, 2011
I was about to photograph the vividly colored mural that gives the village of Sayousi much of its identity, when I noticed that a mother had momentarily lost sight of her daughter, who she thought was following her down the long hill adjacent to the mural. The child had just turned away from her mother and climbed eight of the nine steps that abruptly governed the steep descent of the sidewalk. I caught mother and child here just as the mother realized where her daughter had gone. (Mother and child were together again within ten seconds – that’s how fast the woman climbed those stairs.) Meanwhile another mother walks past the mural with her own child safely in hand. This photograph is an example of one of those little incidents that can give street photography its store of human values. I see such values as curiosity, danger, responsibility, and maternal care all at work here.
24-SEP-2011
Graffiti, Cuenca, Ecuador, 2011
Graffiti has always played a role in my street photography. It often represents an extreme point of view, and I will often try to match the spirit of the graffiti with a complementary or contrasting pedestrian. Such is the case here. The graffiti drew my eye first. A face with bulging eyes and strands of hair standing on end painted on a heavily textured wall represents an extreme caricature. I focused on it and waited – within a few moments, a young man entered my frame. He wore a hooded sweatshirt and half his face was hidden below a blue mask. He was deeply shadowed by the low morning sun. I caught him just as he was about to pass the strange face. In his own way, he looks as unconventional as the graffiti on the wall behind him. He appears preoccupied. He passed the drawing on the wall and never looked up.
30-DEC-2010
Nobody home, Bridgetown, Barbados, 2010
The most interesting street I found in Bridgetown was virtually silent. Using a 24mm wideangle focal length, I stressed the painted storefronts and the directional arrow pointing nowhere, and waited for a figure to enter one third of the way into my frame to create scale relationship and a touch of human values. The man seems to be quite alone here, and loneliness is a common human value, particularly on a street where nobody seems to be at home.
06-SEP-2010
On the move, Mission Beach, San Diego, California
I liked the way the legs of these shoppers, moving in unison, reflect the energy of this resort time. It is a youthful place, and sometimes people dash from point to point, instead of stroll. I give this energy context by symbolizing the nature of the place itself, a beach community that moves not only by foot, but also by surfboard and bicycle.
13-JUL-2010
Gym, New York City, New York, 2010
I saw this man eating his lunch just outside of a gym. He must be a customer here – his sculpted arms and shoulders echo those of the mermaid and merman in the nearby poster. Meanwhile, I also worked on the body language of the people standing in the window, and caught them here sharing an amusing moment. He does not see them, and they do not seem him, while the viewer can see them all simultaneously.
03-JUN-2010
Burro Alley, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2010
The early morning light in this image reminds me of the colors, shadows, shapes and mood in the paintings of Edward Hopper. There is a quiet and peaceful tone to this street photograph of a couple of silhouetted people passing the sculpture of the burro that stands at the head of Santa’s Burro Alley. The doorframe behind them is fully revealed, while the people and the statue they are passing remain abstracted and open to interpretation.
02-JUN-2010
Window Shopping, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2010
We can’t see what these shoppers are looking at, but it is apparent that the woman seems to have more interest in the items for sale in a Santa Fe shop window than the man accompanying her. I liked the way the evening light caught the adobe surfaces of the building itself, showcasing the shop windows within a glowing frame.
08-JUN-2010
Exercise, Durango, Colorado, 2010
I found this man jumping rope on a Durango street corner. He is getting his exercise early – it will be two hours until people will be buying crepes for breakfast from the antique wagon that stands before him.
08-JUN-2010
Friends, Durango, Colorado, 2010
Most of Durango’s stores were closed when I was shooting in the town’s streets at seven thirty in the morning. But the early morning light was perfect -- warm and golden. These people seemed to know each other, and are enjoying a neighborly chat outside of a shuttered chocolate shop. The yellow balloon is a visual bonus – it draws the eye and adds a festive touch to the scene. It also makes us wonder why it is there.
02-JUN-2010
In the Plaza, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2010
The woman sitting on this bench was brilliantly illuminated by the low angle of the evening sun. By exposing on her, I put the shadowed background into darkness, reducing the man who sits behind her to a softly focused shadow. The antique bench acquires dimension as well. Her expression and gesture tell us she is adrift in thought, and enjoying the pleasant summer evening in the very heart of Santa Fe.
03-JUN-2010
Multitasking, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2010
I made this street image because I liked the contrast of activities here – one woman walks a dog and window-shops, while the other, following a few feet behind her, talks to someone else on her cell phone. I also like the incongruent body language here – the restless dog appears to have a mind of its own, its owner ignores it for the moment, while the woman on the phone seems to be using an arm to an ear to shut out street noises.
07-JUN-2010
Rooms to let, Durango, Colorado, 2010
The elements in this street photograph worked nicely together. The red dress of the woman picks up the red stripes in the flag, while the stripes in the awning rhythmically repeat those in the flag as well. The sign “rooms to let,” contrasts to the incongruous name of the Inn itself. The people seem to be studying something lost in the darkness within the window, adding a touch of mystery to the image.