Surprise!

I like urban settings. I like capturing everyday occurrences in my photos. I don’t like wielding a camera in a way that disturbs the scene. My solution is to walk about with an enthusiast’s point-and-shoot, the Canon PowerShot S100. It has all the features of a dSLR including aperture priority, shutter priority, and ISO settings. I shoot from the hip, arm relaxed, camera cradled in my hand with my thumb on the shutter release. I use the 24mm equivalent wide-angle setting on the zoom lens and a fast shutter speed. The camera is capable of F2.0. I shoot on the move not wanting to be noticed. Between steps I pause ever so slightly and press the shutter release.

It’s easy to slip into the habit of taking photos from eye level, 5’4” in my case. How the world looks different shooting from the hip at the camera’s eye level of 2’6”. The technique truly is point-and-shoot.

There’s a sense of freedom from not having to look through a viewfinder nor look at a screen on the back of a camera. Just wander around concentrate on seeing and observing. A subtle movement of the wrist, a press of the thumb, and the moment is captured. Head to a café, have a seat, and be surprised with the results. Click on a pic for a slideshow view.

A police officer takes a report from a trolley driver

Shapes and colors by the fountain