I am a great admirer of street photography, but I have never considered myself very good at it.  Street photography requires a completely different approach and artistic eye than that of a more thought out, carefully composed landscape image.  One must be able to react quickly to capture the right moment or expression, or to frame a key subject and wait until the exact second for something interesting to happen or someone to enter the scene in a way that captures the viewer’s attention.  It is my opinion that street photography, like most other genres of photography, requires a lot of repetition to truly find engaging, everyday situations with a “twist” and capture them properly.

This vantage point of the London Eye was interesting to me, especially because of the leading tree lines and the contrast of the bright sky and Eye against the dark treeline.  But, this alone was a little too static.  While framing it and considering alternatives, I was fortunate that a couple came strolling down the walkway.  I took several images, and this one was the best because of their position and the emotion of this particular moment … both had a pleasant smile, and the young lady’s timely leaning of her head on his shoulder spoke volumes of their apparent love for each other.  So I chalk this one up as bringing me a tiny step closer to being a street photographer, and as is always the case, patience pays off.

 

Couple – London Eye

5D MkII, 16-35L @ 16mm, f/4 @ 1/80 sec

2 Responses to “Watchful Eye”