ARCHIVE 545 – WOMAN ON HER PHONE (MONO)

 

 

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Woman talking on her phone, central Bristol; 15 Oct 2013.

Blazing sunshine on Bristol Bridge, and two women, both distracted, walk towards me.  The young woman in front is in urgent conversation on her mobile, struggling to hear the other voice above the traffic noise; and the second woman glances away, across the river.  I look down into the G11’s wonderfully articulated screen and squeeze the shutter release.

I’ve left the second woman in, but can’t decide whether she adds to the image or not – and hence, maybe, why she is not mentioned in the shot’s title.  Any thoughts? 

I like the main subject’s long, trailing hair – and along with her hand, it makes a rough frame which her face is within; and she’s inclining to the right while her hair is trailing out to the left.  So if the second woman were to be removed, the first woman’s hair would need to left intact.

Click onto the image to open a larger version in a separate window.

Technique: G11 PowerShot at 140mm (35mm equiv); 400 ISO; Silver Efex Pro 2’s Janice’s Infrared Preset.

UPDATE: looking at this again now (2020), I’m glad I kept the second woman in the shot.  To me, her pale face provides balance, both in terms of her looking to the left while the other woman is inclining right, and of her pale face providing some counterbalance to the subject’s larger, paler face.

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