Mohawks and Street Cars

ANNOUNCEMENT: If you’ve missed this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge, I’d love for you to head over to The Daily Post and participate because it is hosted by yours truly. I am beyond honoured to have been asked to be a guest blogger for WordPress, and I look forward to seeing everyone’s submissions. The challenge theme is Documentary.

Now, on to today’s post…

One of the things I aim to do with my photography, is to try to throw myself, and by extension you, into the scene. I often talk about being an intense people watcher, and I think my curiosity in people’s “stories” help fuel my photographic interests.

I saw this guy walking toward me while I was at an intersection one day, and his mohawk caught my attention. My first reaction was to ask him if I could take his portrait on the corner, but something didn’t feel quite right. It wasn’t until he stepped in front of me that I saw the elements come together, and I had my shot.

I find that you often don’t need to see a person’s face to capture a strong scene. For me, this image is strong because of several factors – the subject’s stoic stance in the face of the chaos waiting across the street, his isolation from the rest of the scene, the trademark streetcar which adds a sense of place, the shadow falling to the subject’s side, the historic architecture in the distance paired with the subject’s trending sense of style.

I feel that this is a scene that truly depicts life in Toronto, and I think it’s for that reason that I really seem to like it.

Sorry to blather on today, but I guess I just felt like sharing my feelings on the image.

Have a fantastic Monday everyone! 🙂