The Story Behind the Photograph #16
Nigel Housden
The image comprises the elements I enjoying photographing within the realms of street photography. The intimacy of human interaction, juxtaposition, layers and perspective, along with creating a visual commentary.
I happened upon these three ladies on a very wet market day just inside a partially covered arcade, fearing their conversation would finish quickly I squeezed between a section of street furniture and sheltering shoppers. The image was one of seven rapidly taken with the camera at waist level. I used the pillars as surrogate framing ‘props’ - each of the three subjects has props as their aid to mobility. The verticality was crucial to add the aspect of space and perspective, speed was essential as I needed to ensure the two distant figures remained just that. The clothing adds a level of texture indicating the weather conditions and the flower baskets provide a linear visual into the depth of the image.
Their conversation was so intense they did not notice my presence and I left completely unnoticed.