WordPress Photo 101, Day 2: Street Scene

Street Scene for Blogging University, Photo 101.

A not-so-famous actor on his deathbed allegedly said, “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.”

Well, so is photography.

Today’s assignment reminded me of this. As did yesterday’s. As will tomorrow’s.

Today: Street scene. Think about foreground and background. Maybe try a different vantage point, several stories high.

Trying to get a good photo in a blinding snowstorm is difficult. Today’s street-level shot is missing the crucial element I was after — a bicyclist navigating the snow-covered street near Syracuse University, near the bike route sign. He rounded the corner at the same time as a city bus, and steadied himself by touching the side of the moving bus with his left hand.

How did I see this, but not capture it in a photo? Snow was in my eyes, my hands were freezing, my camera was in a pocket of my winter coat and by the time I retrieved it and turned it on, both cyclist and bus were long gone. I took comfort in the presence of a lowly pedestrian, put him/her in the frame with the bike route sign in the foreground, heaved a heavy sigh. . .

. . . and went indoors to shoot from the comfort of a 12-story window, where I took the photo below. As difficult as writing is, photography is harder. Now I have to go out and shovel my driveway. Again. Welcome to Syracuse.

Street Scene 2, WordPress Blogging University. Twelve stories high.