Railroad Crossing

Railroad Crossing, originally uploaded by penseroso.

photo and text © ervin vice

There are many approaches to street photography.

I've seen Youtube instructional videos of photographers quite literally getting right in people's faces and snapping off shots, even with flash. Of course, that was New York City, where sidewalks are very crowded and people cannot avoid you easily. I even saw a photographer get into a loud verbal joust with a passerby who objected to his presence. Suffice it to say the photographer won that round.  Again - that was New York City.

This is Seattle. Photographers stand out here.  I do, anyway. And sane people do not engage in loud arguments on the street.  But I think I found a way around the dilemma (sanity is always a dilemma, isn't it?).

Locate an interesting backdrop that also happens to be in a spot where people have to pass if they are going to get from A to B. It also helps if you are doing this during the work day, when people are too busy to be bothered by you and your snooping. Simply stand off to the side and wait.

This was one such place and one such time. It was taken in an alley behind Qwest Field during the lunch hour. The guy actually saw me right before I took this shot, but he was obviously on a schedule, and wasn't going to waste time asking me what I was up to. He simply continued on course, his head no doubt filled with work and meetings and money, as is the case with most sensible people at that time of day.

I do think, however, that he should have looked both ways before crossing those tracks.