Open Late (Story Included)

Austin Greene · Jul 14, 2014

Ok, it's 1am here and I've been debating with myself for the past hour on whether or not to post this photo, so here we go, I am. Part of me thinks I should wait, since I might use it for my 52 Weeks project, but the idea of not being able to use a photo from my next three days in the field for the project is a bit discomforting. So I might use it, I might not, either way I'll post it now.

I visited Jagalchi market again this evening in hopes of taking some portraits of the older folks that sell all the fish. I showed up right as places were closing (subway is fast, but I got off of work late), and even had a note a coworker wrote in Korea which said something akin to "I'm Austin, a photographer. May I take your photo please?" Well, I wasn't able to woo too many folks, and those I did, I simply didn't light correctly. Oh well, maybe next time. I wandered off in the general direction of the subway station. That is one nice thing of being completely alone in a foreign place, you can wander a bit. No one is looking for me. If something were to happen, no one would know for days or weeks. It's comforting in a way. It inspires adventure.

As I'm wandering through the closed up and now darkened dry fish market, I noticed a man sitting outside of his pet shop. More specifically, his bird shop. Not for food, we're talking tiny parrots, finches, and the like. I saw the shot I wanted, but as soon as I'm about to get the guts to take it, he goes inside. So there I am, knowing my shot is there. He even left his stool outside, so he's totally going to come back to it, right? I watch him, and see that he's taking a kettle of water and replenishing the water of all the birds inside, one cage at a time.

"Damn, this is going to take a while" were the words in my head.

So I wander. I walk through the barely lit and alleyways, the empty tables, piles of rope and trash, I chase a couple stray cats, and I watch the rats creep along in the shadows looking for scraps. When enough time passed, about 30 minutes, I walk back towards the shop from a different route, so I wouldn't walk past the man, but instead would come up right where I'd need to be to get my shot. Once I can see the shop lights, I meter the shot. I can't see him, just the tip of a window over the pile of rope I'm behind, but it's enough to meter off of. I know the light spilling out of the shop and hitting his stool is going to be the same. Once I'm ready I cross my fingers and step out from behind the rope. He's there. I quietly walk to within about 15 feet of him, right where I wanted and needed to be, I crouch down, and I take the shot.

It was everything I saw in my head, everything I wanted it to be, and as someone who doesn't "do" street photography, I was damn proud of myself. So even if this isn't my photo of the week, it's still a photo with a story.

I hope you like it

I'm heading to sleep now, and with any luck I'll bring back some photos from the next three days in the field.

1.

Open Late by TogaLive, on Flickr

tirediron · Jul 14, 2014

You nailed this one. Great story, great scene, great lighting. Everything that street photography should be!

astroNikon · Jul 14, 2014

I like the shot.
I like the bunny rabbits too just inside the door

I've done that a couple of times .. wandered around. someone/thing moved. Come back around to get the shot that was in my head.

Sometimes it's just waiting for people to get out of the shot too.