38. A Walk Into Town
If it's not one thing, it's something else
Yesterday was Saturday and the weather was mixed, which isn’t unusual for Dunedin, New Zealand in the Spring. I headed down from the hill suburb where I live in mid-afternoon to run a few errands. I was walking, of course. Although I have lived in the same neighbourhood for thirty years, and I have walked the same few routes into town thousands of times, every walk is a different experience. There is always something new to notice and document.
About halfway into the 20-minute walk to The Octagon, the civic centre of Dunedin, I passed the St George jam factory mural on London Street. Completed in 2015, the mural is based on archival photographs of the factory that used to occupy this site. The light was mostly overcast but not bad. I took a few shots of the mural from across the street and was ready when two young men walked by and gave me the thumbs-up.
A few minutes later, as I reached the intersection of London Street and Filleul Street, I noticed a couple of couches on top of a garage next to an inner-city house. Of the 130,000 people living in Dunedin, more than 20,000 are students enrolled at the University of Otago or the local Polytechnic. Ratty indoor furniture sitting outside on the front porch or on the front lawn (or on top of a garage) is a clear sign that you are looking at a student flat.
I was positioned uphill. I framed the background, focused on the two couches in the foreground, and set the aperture of the not-very-fast 24-105mm telephoto lens I was using to f4. Then I waited. I took several shots over the next fifteen minutes, as people walked down the far side of Filleul Street. It was only as I was walking towards the intersection that I saw a bus coming. I ran back to my spot, knowing that the large bus would fill in the middle ground and bring some colour to the dull, overcast scene.
A few minutes later, I was crossing St Andrew Street, dodging cars and navigating around construction barriers that had been blown down by strong winds. The sun briefly emerged from behind the clouds and lit up the orange barriers and traffic cones. I focused on the barrier nearest to me to ensure that the background, which wasn’t very interesting, was out of focus. That way, the photo would be more about colour.
I continued through The Octagon and down Princes Street and walked by the Disk Den, a popular music shop that also has a large collection of T-shirts, posters, and other merchandise. The last time I passed by here, Elton John was the golden boy. Now, Elvis holds pride of place. The sky was overcast. The reflections were not too distracting and the colour was more saturated than on a sunny day (my preferred conditions for street photography).
I did some shopping and was heading back towards the centre of town when I walked by Solomons House on Bond Street. I noticed a round mirror in the entranceway that, if I stood in the right spot, framed four bicycle lock-up stands on a section of illuminated pavement. I framed the scene from across the street and waited. This is the best shot I got in the 25 minutes I stood there until it started raining.
I picked up the pace and headed for a supermarket just off Lower Stuart Street near the Octagon. On the way, I passed a light fixture that was looking a little down. Perhaps it had been hit by a car the night before (it can get a bit rowdy in the centre of Dunedin on a Friday night). As I was examining the scene, three boys approached and one of them jumped over the obstacle. There was something about his orange, handless sleeves, and that fallen fixture. I reached the supermarket, got as much of what was on my list as I could fit into my backpack, and headed back up the hill.
What’s next?
I’ve been mulling over some of the issues raised in the presentation that I shared over the last two posts. The use of hunting and fishing analogies to think about how street photographers work is worth exploring further. Also, the candid nature of street photography and the relationship between the photographer and the subject photographed are worth investigating. I’ll aim to wrestle with one of these issues in the next post. But a lot else can happen in a week.
What do you think?
I invite you to leave a comment below.
Some great shots there, Mark. All in all, a successful foray into town - even if you missed some things at the supermarket!
I have the feeling to walk with you with this edition! Brilliant!