Park Bench Portraits

My best friend of six years, Ryan, is moving to China next Saturday.

The kid has been dreaming of teaching English in a foreign land for close to two years. So, finally fed up with his life as a Boston bartender he jumped online about a week ago and started sending his resume all over the globe. Sure enough, within a three day window he gets a response from a school an hour south of Shanghai.

The abridged version of the response reads, "We start our training program in two weeks. Can you put your affairs in order and make it to China in that short a period of time?"

Never one to refuse a challenge, Ryan responded with a resounding yes. This is the part of the story where I come in.

You see, to get one's self to China, one needs a Chinese visa. These wonderful documents are only given out by Chinese consulates and the nearest one to our humble abode here in the Northeast is on 12th Avenue in New York City.So, in hopes of getting our fair haired friend to China in a weeks time, Ryan and I jumped in the car. Mind you my foot hit the pedal at 2:00 AM EST. Did I forget to mention that we needed to be at the consulate at 9:00?

Anyways, to make a long story short, we got him there in one piece and I spent the rest of the day wandering the city with my handy G10 whilst he waited in line.

I made it my goal to spend the entire day shooting without looking through the view finder. Shoot literally from the hip. Shoot without letting anyone know. Shoot with your minds eye.

To me, shooting from the hip, without looking through the finder always results in better street images. The compositions are crooked, subjects off center and unaware, pieces of clothing, bags, or extremities sneak into the frame. The shots are hurried, cramped just like our view of the city while walking through it.

For me the street has never been a place for careful composition. There's no time! The shot is there one moment and gone the next. Don't think, don't wonder, just click the damn button! If something catches your eye then shoot. If you don't then the shot is gone before the camera has even made it to your eye.

From the moment I step off the train my camera is in my hand, on, and ready to go. I keep it in my right hand as I walk, imagining the frame, seeing, aiming, and squeezing all on instinct alone.

Sure you'll get wasted frames. But every so often you'll catch a glimpse, a smile, a gesture, a moment that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. That is what street photography is all about!