Alfresco Dining

Yesterday after I had met my son in Edinburgh for lunch I decided to try a bit of street photography along Princes Street. I am afraid I took the coward's way and shot with a telephoto lens  hopefully unnoticed.

My first target was this group of girls sitting on a bench on one of the upper pathways in Princes Street Gardens. I think I managed to shoot from sufficient distance to be unnoticed but these pathway, though providing and endless source of interesting subjects, do not exactly provide much cover for anonymity as a photographer.

There was a popular band of buskers across the street in front of M & S who not only lightened my mood as they were both tuneful and joyous and provided an obvious subject. The pavement were fairly busy so it was difficult getting passersby present but not obscuring the band and there were necessary breaks when buses pulled up in front of them at the nearby bus stop. 

Another subject presented himself whilst I was shooting the band - a 'blipper extraordinaire' with masses of gear and a very substantial tripod. He settled on the narrow island in the middle of the road. I thought he was going to shoot the buskers like me but he appeared to be shooting up the road with his camera pointing slightly upwards maybe towards the distant Calton Hill.

My final target was people crossing the road at the Hanover Street junction. I quite liked their resolute determined air as they crossed the road, an intermingling of individuals with little scope for interaction. I spent some time shooting from the steps in portico of the Royal Scottish Academy which provided excellent cover for me and sufficient height to shoot over the moving cars. However, the shot I have included was taken from the centre island at street level as it gives a better perspective to show the looks on their faces.

One other captive target I discovered was bus, tram and car drivers who can do little to avoid your enquiring lens in busy traffic though you have to deal adequately with the reflections from their windscreens, maybe I'll take a polariser next time.