Figment

Its been a little over a year since I flew down to the Bay Area and attended a photo workshop by one of the most intrepid photojournalists around, Ami Vitali. I hadn't been doing a lot of photography recently and needed a jump-start (as we all do from time to time). I had admired her website (http://www.amivitale.com/main.html - be sure to check out her "Intro") for quite some time and when the opportunity arose to attend a weekend workshop, I went for it. One of our "assignments" was to go somewhere - anywhere - and remain there for an hour (not really moving more than a foot or two during that time) and see what photo opps presented themselves. It was a gloomy morning and I walked from my motel room to a nearby bakery, ordered a cup of tea, sat by the window and waited. I eventually started a conversation with two gentlemen who were clearly regulars at the bakery and my photos and conversation with them became my "presentation" back at class.


Fourteen months later, I came across the photos taken that day and noticed this photo for really the first time: "Sunday Morning, Berkeley, in the Rain." The photo represents exactly that. Monochrome photos can emphasize the gloom on a rainy day; the "figment" walking up the street and the red car taillights show that life continues regardless of the gloom. The reds of awnings, the taillights and the no parking strip provide visual linkages. Simple and complex; black and white and red. And a good reason for not deleting photographs the first time around!