"A good snapshot stops a moment from running away." - 365 Project, Day 11

The other day I was walking home from work and I saw this lady walking her dog.  That in itself is nothing particularly strange.  What caught my eye is that her boots matched her dog - white and fluffy.  A few days later I was walking next to a school bus and one of the pipes near its front had formed a small icy stalactite from the dripping water.  Something about the pipe and its water droppings caught my attention.  Walking home today (I do that often), I saw someone teetering on one foot on a small snowbank next to the road, looking down the street (perhaps for a bus or something).  Again, something about the position of his body on the snowbank looked interesting.  I, unfortunately wasn't able to capture these moments.

Would that I, um, would love to walk around with an M9 Titanium strapped to my neck the whole day, for a few reasons, this is quite unfeasible.  (First of which is that I don't have enough kidneys to sell to pay for this toy.)  The goal of a street photographer is to snap something raw and candid and real-life.  Unfortunately, getting these moments is sometimes very difficult (unless of course, you walk around with an M9 strapped to your neck, which, at least in Ottawa, not many - or any, for that matter - people do).  Sometimes photographers have to manufacture their moments.  These manufactured moments are not as raw, but the advantage is they are much easier to capture, and can look spectacular.  (Trying very hard not to reference the weather we've had in the past two days, here.)  The control one gets when not doing candids helps channel creativity and allows the photographer to fully realise their vision, whether it be big or small.  Complex or simple, raw or artificial, the perfect shot is always possible, and is always close by, it just needs to be photographed.

Today, everybody seems to have chosen to have devoted their creative output indoors, which is a smart thing considering the state of the streets and sidewalks here.  The only exception is myself, but then again I tend my make my life more complex than it should be, and for no apparent reason, as well.

Frank

His note: A cliché shot I know, but just had to try it...

Mandy

Her note: My father brought back this mask as a souvenir from one of his Caribbean excursions. I decided to shoot this low key and I really like how it brought out the mask's mystery.

Shannon

Her friend's boots.  They're leopard-printy.

Me

On my way to the store to buy a gift for a baby shower tomorrow, this pock-marked sidewalk had an interesting look to it.  I was trying to capture the little river forming on the right side of the sidewalk, but the whole thing just took on an eye-catching texture.

Tomorrow is Saturday, and hopefully I will be able (along with everybody else, of course) to leave my domicile to take pictures.  I already have plans for a baby shower, but I hope to be able to do more than that.  Tomorrow will chose for me.