Street Photography Sample. Choosing the moment

Choosing the moment

People refer to capturing the moment a lot in Photography, and in many ways this is important, but deciding on the right moment to press the button is just as important. To many, the moment, is only a split second, and unless they press now the photo will be lost forever. And to a point, they’re right.

However this is not always the case. Take a musician for example. A musician is for me a static object. They are fixed in a specific spot and rarely move. So there is no real excuse to miss the Moment, or is there.

Theme

People who photograph Musicians rarely think of a theme. Loneliness, happiness, sadness etc. You get my meaning. And in this they miss a very valuable trick.

In the photo is a Musician blowing on his Sax, a solitary figure, sat against a wall in a populated area. The photo depicts a resilience in the person. The Saxophone is a real solo instrument, and the notes are long and deep and meaningful.

The idea is create a sense of an island. No one stops. No one stares. The angle is at his head height so the world is what he sees.

And although the photo is not cropped it would have been had anyone been listening to him. This may seem a cheat, but when you have a theme you have a reason to take a photograph.

Metaphor

The Metaphor for Loneliness in film is the Taxi Driver. In the photograph it’s Jazz. Jazz music can be listened to in an empty bar, or theatre, with just you and the musician. The music can play on it’s own to itself. It doesn’t need an audience.