The Young Explorer
You know that I don’t take photos of people. Unless they are my granddaughters.
Or, unless I notice an intrepid young explorer, heading out on a big adventure.
El Mercado
San Antonio, Texas
photographed 9.6.2015
Posted on February 13, 2016, in Photography and tagged 365 photo project, black and white photography, El Mercado, melinda green harvey, monochrome, NIK Silver Efex Pro 2, one day one image, photo a day, photography, postaday, san antonio, street photography, texas. Bookmark the permalink. 12 Comments.
One Day | One Image 
There are some really effective shapes and shadows in this image, the B&W tones of the image really come across. What i’m also really impressed by is the contrast between the hard, angular shapes of the buildings and the delightful sense of exploring that comes over from the little figure going on an explore.
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Thank you. That little boy was a delight – he thought everything that day was just fascinating. I wasn’t feeling too much joy that day…until I saw him.
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Sometimes its the unlooked for serendipity moments that have the most impact.
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Yes, you’re exactly right. The trick is to recognize those moments when they come our way!
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I think it’s interesting how the composition reinforces the idea. Everything to the little person’s right, his past, is simple knowable shapes. His trajectory, his future, is into complicated, less quickly understood, shapes.
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LInda – thanks for such an excellent analysis of the photo, and I wish I could say that I planned it that way. I was actually just standing there, more or less in a stupor, when that little boy wandered into my view, and I made the shot without any time to compose it. Luck – it was just luck.
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Two things: One: You know what they say about luck. It favored you because you were prepared. Two: That “standing . . . in a stupor”: I think I know what you mean. But it’s not a stupor, really; it’s the state of being receptive without preconceptions. And look what you received! It’s such a good photograph.
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You know how there are days when everything just FEELS like a photo? This wasn’t one of those days, but it was my last day in San Antonio and I was trying to push through my doldrums. Later in the day, I did start to get back into the groove, and I like to think this little, exploring fellow helped lead me back!
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Oh, I do know that feeling. It always upsets me, makes me think I’ve lost all powers of discrimination. But at the same time I can’t stop clicking. The download is the telling. Sometimes there’s nothing good there. Sometimes it really is a bumper crop. Sorry about your doldrums. Isn’t it wonderful how we can work against them with our cameras. And congratulations again on this photo.
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Great photo. i enjoyed reading through your dialogue with Linda. I also don’t believe Luck comes into photography – it’s all about being aware, prepared and observant and the pictures come to us. It’s being in the ‘Zone’ – can’t think which famous photographer coined that word. I too love the way Linda described that photo – it slightly worries me that he’s straying out into a dangerous world full of cars.
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It takes a lot of practice to hit that Zone, and I’m not convinced I’ve earned the right to say that’s what happened.
If you mean the little boy is literally straying into a world of cars, that street was blocked for the market. And his parents were just out of the frame on the left.
If you meant it figuratively, then he’s in great danger, especially since he’s in Texas and we love our cars!
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I was more concerned he might be heading for a road to the left of the building, but it’s a big wild world physically and figuratively for all small children and one has to have eyes in the back of one’s head to keep them safe.
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