Danie Bester. Erratic, Johannesburg, 2016

ISO-400, 1/400 sec at f/3.5. Canon 6D, 45mm Tilt-Shift lens

One winter afternoon, @shawn and I left early to do some street photography before I had to present an evening photography class. We stopped at Arts on Main, near the Maboneng precinct. A couple of blocks from Arts on Main, we encountered a man wearing a pink skirt, pink cap, women’s bras, and a handbag draped around his shoulders, along with black ankle boots. He was tall and had a striking, lean physique. He behaved extremely erratically, taking long strides and changing direction suddenly as he searched dustbins for empty soda cans, water bottles, and picking up cigarette stumps from the ground. He was sipping from the mostly empty cans and water bottles and attempting to smoke the cigarette stumps.

I had my Canon 6D with a 45mm tilt-shift lens which, lacking autofocus, made it challenging to track him. His frequent starts, stops, and changes in direction only added to the difficulty. It was as if he was on drugs, as he seemed completely oblivious to my intent to photograph him. In the purest sense of street photography, I didn’t want to engage him. I was looking to capture him against a complementary backdrop, but his erratic movements made this impossible.

We followed him for about six blocks until he passed a turquoise wall. This is my favourite shot of him: he paused for a moment, turned, and looked in the opposite direction. His skirt flared in one direction as he gazed in the other, and his arm rested on the handbag, forming a triangular shape. The dynamic lines and triangular shapes resulted in a very dynamic shot.

The framing wasn’t perfect. Since I was using the 45mm prime lens, I was unable to zoom out quickly or reframe him. However, given his striking appearance and the complementary colours, I am perfectly content with it.

#StreetPhotography #DanieBester #DPCTutor #Kodachrome

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