Over the top

Street photography. You shoot what you see. I was shy. I did not get the real shot… the front on over the top shot. I saw it. But the camera and I were simply not in position. So I describe it… alas! Colleen giggled. Even she was taken aback! Security in a museum! Maybe in a club? Nope! Museum security. Are you hoping to be noticed? Do you care? I do not know. We (Colleen) both got a laugh. I regret I did not get the definitive illustration for this post. Yes, there is much to be critical. Um… “girl, does your mom know what you wore to work today?”

Must be…

… a parade or some‘in. Don’t mess with mama. Once again, street photography. Ok ok! A boardwalk. And the bikini is none too flattering. Or, maybe… Bored? Me? I shot what I saw. The bikini made me pause. I am not curious enough to see the date or place to discern what the context might be. I would guess it was our Labor Day parade. I just got to say, “Does your mother know what you wore outside today?”

Humor

I guess I was doing street photography early on before I recognized the term. We were on a tour. My mother had worked for Pan Am and got employee ticket discount and a tour. We went as a family and were in Japan. Riding in the tour bus I glanced out the window and raised my camera to catch this slide. Yeah, right in the middle of traffic… you know, women put on makeup, and…. It struck me odd then, and it makes me smile now.

Odds

What are the odds? We attended a St Pat’s parade and across the street was an Irish bar. Ha ha. Who’d have thunk? We wandered into town into this parade. It was small short and lame as parades go. There was no lack of enthusiasm and spirit. Everyone is Irish on this day. Yes, we even saw a red headed Irish child!

Parades. It’s all about position. A zoom lens is pretty much a necessity. And bring along a big smile.

Reality

It’s enough to make you vegetarian. Humane? Humanity? Where does the chicken we buy all wrapped in cellophane come from? We live amongst chicken processing plants. Birds gotta come from somewhere. They transport ‘em in trucks. Headed to their death without ever living free. Yeah, free range chicken?! Ha! Colleen has been vegetarian for a long time. If I had to kill my own cow….

This day

Boring. This is the sum and total of a whole day’s shoot. Yeah!

Grand opening of a brand new grocery?! Boy or boy, get a life! I was in search of chestnuts for Thanksgiving. Supply chain, shortage, chestnut blight, you name it, no chestnuts, anywhere! Um, ok! And there are no Pillsbury biscuits. Same thing, supply chain. Those $1 for 10 biscuits in the tube that explodes when you press the seam – nada! The things we run out of? I use them to make steamed dumplings. Drat and double drat.

That grand opening? Don’t do it. The parking lot was packed and there was a traffic jam. I parked a quarter mile away. Free samples, ha ha, I got a free cannoli. There’s a gas station attached. But!! There’s no access to the main road! Huh! Great planning. I hope there is a way in and out other than the grocery alone that is coming soon.

Guilty. I shot out the car window again. But this time I was stopped at the light. Safe! Who knew three shots all day.

Grab shot. Turn the camera on and shoot an image or two. I coulda done it with the iPhone….

Progress

In a few moments a stand of trees becomes a roadside pile of sawdust. Colleen was appalled. A new development, it’s progress. People gotta have a place to live. Trees gotta fall and be mulch. Sadly. This is progress. Nature cannot stand in order to make way for pavement and grass. Gotta have manicured grounds!

Shooting from a moving car is always a danger. One handed distracted driving is not recommended. Auto everything gets an image on the fly. It was otherwise not worth a stop.

Ill timed

Wow! A lot has happened since 2016. The very nice ladies on the plane coughed around me the entire flight. I got the worst cold of my life that lasted for weeks. The worst until now. My California grandkids gave me the second worst – cold. (Colleen too!!)

I had just escaped Saudi – they tried to blow me up – slightly exaggerated but true nonetheless. Colleen was ecstatic as I started retirement slightly ahead of schedule. Retirement? Priceless!

I have seen life and death since then. The grands have been born and grown. It’s a short period. Trump came and went. It’s been a turbulent exuberant time between colds. Covid! As I sit and cough, Colleen has joined me – coughing. Yes, the grandkids shared with her too.

The photo of the ladies on the plane was airplane version of street photography. The ladies were part of a large group many of whom freely coughed all around me. Near the end of the flight they got up from their seats to the cramped lavatories to change out of their black abayas. The transformation was like butterflies being set free from their cocoons. No one cared that I took the pictures. Of course! I always have a camera at hand!

Need I say? Timing is everything.

It’s not for me to say

It has been said that dogs and their owners resemble one another. Similarly spouses tend to have similar features.

We were in a contemporary art museum. Click. Same pose, similar hair…. Hmmm.

Exposure. Timing. Composition. It’s all part of street photography. The elements have to fall into place to get a successful shot. Not bad. I even got half a leg….(far left)

Goofing

We were waiting for museum to open. I took advantage and was shooting fall color. Spectacular! A girl wandered by trying to take pictures of her dog? She was aiming in the wrong direction. Maybe not?! I assume the obvious but am often mistaken.

An overcast day – it would rain shortly – has different light. It’s soft, not harsh, tending toward blue tones. Take it. Street photography, yes, this was. Just do it. Puzzle over it later. I hope she got her shot. I got mine.