Technically, it is not a street. There are people in it. During a discussion regarding the resurgence in popularity of ‘street photography’ several months ago someone informed me that if the photograph did not contain people, it did not count as street photography. I wonder if they write letters to well known street photographers who publish street photographs with only a dog in a storefront in their street photography monographs, or a silhouette that might be a person, telling them to change their profession. What if no street appears? After all, street appears in the name. Someone always adds new rules to suit their taste.
I love public transportation, especially subways and trains. It started decades ago during my first trip to London when this car loving suburbanite, then a young adult, found out about good public transport. I still have those photographs of the “Mind the Gap” signs. The lines and curves of the Washington metro, with harsh lighting in some places and almost none in others, and the vanishing lines of the tracks reminded me of that first experience. While my fellow travelers checked the stations and waited for the train, I wandered around and took my photographs.
I mentioned before that the G16 sets limits on me that my SLR does not. In this case, it worked well. I shot both of these at ISO 200 at 1.8. As unobtrusive as a mobile phone, it gives me more options without attracting undue attention.
On this trip to Washington, DC, I carried the Canon G16 exclusively. Celebrating anniversaries with another couple and seeing the museums for which our taxes paid covered the purposes of this trip. Photography, if done at all, took a back seat. Well, sort of. I did get a few more photographs I’ll be sharing with you.
Nichter Photography PLUS 