Photographing What I See (and Sometimes What I Don’t)

A little girl on the shoulders of her father. Other people passing by and looking in different directions.
Disparities

I don’t stage anything.
I walk, I look, sometimes I wait. And when something strikes me, I press the shutter.
Not always for a clear reason.
Often because it moves me — or simply because I’m curious to see what it will look like as a photograph.

The image above was taken shortly before Father’s Day.
What I noticed right away was the little girl sitting on her father’s shoulders — a tender, almost symbolic moment.
But I also saw, in the background, this poster showing a man’s hand grabbing his crotch through his clothes.
That contrast hit me: the innocence of a family gesture, and just behind it, the vulgarity or macho attitude of another gesture.
I didn’t move anything. I just framed the scene and took the shot.

While editing, I noticed even more:
The surrounding faces, the scattered gazes, the fleeting expressions of surprise.
All these elements that were there, on the edges of my attention.

So, did I really “make” this photo?
Yes. No. Maybe.
All I know is I saw it. I chose it. And I kept it.

Photography, for me, is this:
It’s welcoming what the world offers, without trying to control it.
Occasionally, I see it at the moment.
Occasionally, I discover it later.
But always, it’s a gaze I place on the world. And that gaze is what I share.