Good pictures are hard to find but sometimes they find you !
Regular readers of these blogs will be aware of my sincere belief that my Street Photography relies on a deep collaboration with life the universe and everything , it is not my intention to go all “Glastonbury” or “Douglas Adams” on you but the “LUCK” description really does not do it for me !
This picture still surprises me today due to the “Coincidences” that were gifted to me in what was a fleeting moment , the only element of this picture that I controlled was the placement within the frame of the small figure growing out of the headless mans neck , I remember changing my viewpoint in haste by about two feet in order to improve the composition , the small Lord Mayor figure didn’t look right growing out of the subjects shoulder …
The change of viewpoint is the only consideration I remember in the making of this pic , everything else is serendipitous , the headless man and the echo of the decapitated mannequin are gifts that combine perfectly with the “tired” male underwear that appears to harmonise with the man and his “misshaped” suit , none of these details were part of my concious contemplation during the shoot …
I managed three frames before the mans head re-appeared and he shuffled off , two more than usual but I never noticed any of the details that I value so highly now at the time of capture , all I did was walk around the corner and collect this gift that life , the universe and everything had secretly planned for me , make no mistake I’m extremely grateful and genuinely astonished by the alignments of life that Street Photography allows me to share …
The strange thing is , I usually possess high levels of optimism and expectation , I truly believe that great pictures await me around every street corner and guess what , sometimes they do …
You don’t need the latest bit of Japanese photo tech when life the universe and everything walk each and every step with you ….
On a personal note, the gait of the man in this picture reminds me of the legendary Tyneside photographer Jimmy Forsyth , he would pull pictures from a carrier bag and tell you all about the “Fotos That He Took” , this website has become my carrier bag …
This series of blogs is based around pictures from my archive , I hope the words that accompany the featured pictures offer a level of context , insight and inspiration to readers .
“The Foto What I Took” blog title , is a comedy reference borrowed / inspired by the Morcambe and Wise “The Play What I Wrote“ sketch …
MORE…
If your blessed with a bit more time feel free to visit highlights from my Another Day Off project , The State Of Britain series , The Testing Times pictures or the “In Progress” , “Living” In Limbo… , they represent the most turbulent years in modern British history and ten years of my life…
Many more Foto What I Took Blogs are available too …