Knees. They talk about a photographer’s eye – but nobody talks about a photographer’s knees. Or back! As I get older, and I am now older than I have ever been, my knees and back are refusing to cooperate like they used to. My photographer’s eye has developed and improved, but my photographer’s knees and back are almost swapping positions. In the morning, I have to unfold myself when I get out of bed. I double over as I sit on the side of the bed and try get my head between my ankles to stretch out my back. Then I creak my way to the bathroom as the squeaky mice in my knees start to wake up.
So, you can imagine what it must be like out on the street when I see someone I want to get into a frame. I am anal about getting the full figure into frame and not cropping out feet. Shooting in a square format on the iPhone means that sometimes I need to get down low to get the whole person into the frame. This means I need to crouch. All fine and dandy until I need to get back up. I am like an aged flower with a broken stem. Very often the initial surprise people experience when I crouch in front of them to get a shot changes to bewilderment or extreme amusement when they see me struggle to get back up. I imagine the day will come when I will encounter a fellow photographer who will pounce on the opportunity to get a shot of me as I attempt to get back up. It would make for a fine street shot.
This young couple looked on in dismay when they discovered me crouching down in front of them with the iPhone in hand. I got the shot and they moved on. I turned around to see the girl elbowing her boyfriend to get a look at me struggling to regain my footing. Both seemed to find it very funny. And, you know it probably is.
The DSLR image is another taken on the main shopping street in Copenhagen. How could you not be attracted to a guy with such an extravagant hat?
