SNAP!

Walking by the river yesterday I was approached by lady with a camera, who asked me politely if I would object to being photographed, and as I had nothing to hide and the police were not actively looking for me, how could I refuse the offer of five minutes of fame?

We had an interesting discussion on the legality and ethics of street photography, and when she stepped back a little way to get on with her candid snappery I saw her eyeing (but not photographing) this couple walking by with their baby, and that brought an instant reaction from my ever-ready trigger finger to record the scene.

I only realized later that I had not asked her permission, but we had already agreed that there is no legal obligation to do so, although common courtesy requires that we avoid causing embarrassment or ridicule, and I was careful not to show the faces of the young couple or their baby (which I would regard as a serious "no-no!") so if anybody who sees this asks me why I took the shot, that will be my answer and I can live comfortably with it.

The snapshot was exactly that: a single shot, un-posed and unplanned (just the way I like it!) and I was pleasantly surprised that it needed very little editing except the removal of a prominent public toilet sign and conversion to monochrome to remove the distraction of colour.