Accidents are the essence of genius

With those mesh windows it looks like they take security seriously. Something Squidgy should be aware of too.

It looks like there is going to be plenty of overtime. I will bet that car was parked before the work started.

I like this one sue. It is an unusual but not altogether rare technique that the largest person in the frame is not the focus of our attention but draws our eye towards the real main subject. It is very good composition for me.

Responding to the issue of the British police and guns as (not) seen in the photograph, without it becoming a political comment, the British police have never had them and never wanted them. Although there have been some tense situations, it was always felt they were not necessary to maintain the law. The few exceptions to this are at airports where they can be discreetly seen in the background and two or three housing estates throughout the country which have an exceptionally high incidence of violent crime. Most police forces maintain a number of early responding SWAT teams but these are generally only used for hostage type situations and are not usually seen by the public. In recent times there has been a move to get some of the police out of their cars and to do some old fashioned community policing, which is probably what is going in here.

I think you will like it, I use this technique a lot.

Hi Tom,
Thanks for the compliment re Belgium. Originally I am from the UK but have lived near Antwerp for over 20 years.

Thanks for the feedback. If I have a long comment to make I will try Reuters style just for you.

Perhaps it is the kind of product that only gets exchanged during a handshake, or perhaps not. Camerapapi the quality of your kit shows through particularly in the skin tones.

I sure hope the first one doesn't fall over.

Putin' on the Ritz. You caught the fun.

Thx

I am completely with jaymatt on this one. I would like to make a few further observations, firstly about the photo and then about the subject. This is a variation on a style of photograph which I believe Robert Frank popularized, namely windows on a train or windows on a bus. Everybody occupying one space but the partition between the windows dividing them into separate lives in separate compartments. In this particular case, only one life.

Firstly the color photo. The thing that completely grabs my attention and wont go away is the yellow sauce bottle in the left hand frame. This with the reflection of the fluorescent light in the mirror is the only thing I want to look at. In the main frame, what a marvelous subject. Anyone that has tried their hand at street, knows you grab the shot when things happen before you and it is only in post that you notice things that could have been done a little differently at the time. In this case it would have been one step to the right. This would have done three things. Firstly it would have allowed the open window to stay in shot. Secondly it would have removed the highlight at the side from either a glass door or a mirror and lastly it would have removed the guys shoulder from the shot. Even though this person and the subject are not engaging, cutting him out would have enhanced the subjects feeling of isolation and in my view, made a stronger composition. Try a double click download and move the slider bar so that the highlight from the glass door / mirror is just removed and see what you think. So far as the color version is concerned, I don't think anything is lost from the story if it is cropped towards the back of the left hand ketchup bottle. The B&W version is a fine photo and is good to go with or without the various crops mentioned.

It is the contradiction of looking a kindly person but being alone that makes the photo interesting. She looks like she is making the effort to join in but feels slightly out of place. I am guessing that is why she has taken her pearls / beads off and draped them over the condiments. Their green color contrasted with the predominant red of the photo is the one thing the color version has over the B&W IMO. It is the not knowing and wondering about her situation that keeps you coming back to it.

Overall, this is a super photograph. Were you busted Voss? Did she give any indication that she knew you were there? I think if I was spotted in this situation I would have gone over and said “Hello” through the open window and told her what I was up to.

I think trusting but vigilant and hope you are pleasantly surprised is the name of the game. Thanks jpgto.

Yes, she is a cutie. There could be a couple of things going on here, most likely is 'There is something more interesting going on over there'. On a more unsavoury note, the kids could be in all directions causing a diversion while he lifts the tape. Another variation I have come across is the older one engages the shopkeeper whilst the kids do the deed. Most likely is though they are just kids being kids. Thanks for looking in Dave.

What cambriaman said. Also here is a tip Voss passed over a while ago. If you shoot in colour and convert to B&W in post processing, you can still use the 'levels' adjustment to control the R, G & B channels and so produce differing lighting effects. This little trick is not open to you if you shoot B&W in camera.

Hi tvrle, welcome aboard the Hogg. I really like your photos, particularly the third. The human element does it for me. In the second photo the advertising board is written in English, is it normal to see that in Oslo or is it somewhat unusual? Btw, I know it takes a time to get the hang of everything but when posting photos, if you check the 'store original' box, that allows us to see your photos full screen.