The thrill of shadow and light and the agony of the missed shot



Enclosed walkway at  NYC Penn Station

 

In the final analysis, this image may just constitute a throw away; but I want to tell the story anyway. There must be some type of work going on at Madison Square Garden, NYC, because there is a walkway enclosure in some areas. Basically it is an enclosure with temporary walls, acrylic windows, and a roof; you know, a walkway, nothing really special except, that light… that wonderful light and, of course, the way the sun hit the enclosure from the perfect angle creating a beautiful array of light and shadow. Being addicted to photography as I am, there; I’ve said it, I’m a photo junkie, I thought it would make an interesting image, and a particularly interesting black and white image; chromatic greyscale, if you insist; but, I also needed a subject in my scene, I needed a person, to add dimension to the image and I needed them quickly. You see, I was on my way to a workshop, at B & H Photo, and did not want to be late. Suddenly, there she was; the woman of my dreams, or at least, the woman of my image; she was standing at an opening in the enclosure smoking a cigarette, and by the looks of it, she really needed it; smoke was swirling back into her face and behind her filtering into the enclosure; and believe me, this woman was in ecstasy, her eyes were rolling around like two runaway marbles racing down a steep hill. Now I had shadow, light, a subject, and, the topper, smoke. No sooner did I set my exposure and framing, two other persons walked through the enclosure, blocking my smoking lady. I politely stepped aside so they could pass; but by then, my muse was gone. Usually, I would have camped out there until another suitable subject presented themselves; however, as I said, I was running late, so regrettably, I had to leave, but not before I made this image. I still like the shadow and light, I still like the scene, but I miss that woman with rolling eyes and a hammerlock on her cigarette.