PICK OF THE WEEK: Tee Shirts and Body Language

Hands Reaching (Katoomba Australia May 2014)

Tee shirts and body language. Two of the alert street photographer's best friends. Now, one does see some funny or interesting or even surprising tee shirts on the streets now and again. And, also now and again, one sees interesting or eye-catching body language on the streets. It's when the two come together that really excites the attention of the alert street photographer.

Sometimes it's the tee shirt that attracts my attention. And sometimes it's the body language. In this instance (today on the street here in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains of Australia), this couple caught my eye as they were both dressed in black. Then when the boy raised his hand, my camera went to my eye in a flash. It was only then as I looked through the viewfinder, that I noticed the girl's tee shirt.

Of course by the time this thought made its way through my brain, the shutter had been pushed and the photograph made. Later, on my laptop screen and converted into black and white, I noticed how much of a mirroring there is between the boy's upraised and half-mittened hand and the skeletal hands on the girl's tee shirt. It was a bit cold today but not cold enough for mittens (half or otherwise), so here we have two fashion statements that work together to make, what I think, is a compelling street photograph.

More than this, it is a nice observation of humanity on a number of levels. For me it is a compelling image, as I said. It's also a very human scene: friends dressed in similar styles, one happily greets another friend out of frame. It's also humorous and I like it. That's essentially why it is this week's Pick.

Peace