I take the camera out of the equation.

I’m a naturalist. I don’t want to change the moment. I just want to capture it. I feel my way into the shot. My hands act as my eyes. So, I don’t aim or look at the display. I literally shoot from the hip which means there are no guarantees.

Sometimes I shoot the trash can instead of the person standing nearby. It’s part of the process that I call Photo Roulette(TM). I am willing to give up accuracy for authenticity.

It’s my attempt to eliminate the camera from the equation. There are no barriers between me and the people I see. And there is very little thinking. It’s visceral and immediate. I’ve often wished I could take a photograph by blinking my eye. This is as close to a blink shot as I can get.⇩

Not to worry. There’s so much to see out there. But everyone on the sidewalk is in such a hurry.

They walk like they’re already 10 minutes late. Missing the fact that live streaming works best in-person. You just have to look up and see what’s going on. There are sidewalk celebrities. And people who look like they’ve never owned a mirror. Some are thinking about a business deal. Others about their relationship. Or, maybe lunch. Some are yawning. Some are yelling.

So if you don’t have time to look up — or you live somewhere else — I’m out there, paying attention. And I’m not in a hurry. I’m the slow man on the sidewalk. Which gives me plenty of time to look around and see what should be captured.