October 8, 2026

Learning to see street corners

A friend suggested an abandoned railway line months ago, and this week I finally went. Most of the morning went into watching street corners; I took fewer frames than usual, but each one felt deliberate.

Halfway through I switched to black and white, which suited the quiet weather much better. Locals barely noticed me. A man feeding gulls told me the place looks completely different in spring.

The path was muddy and longer than the map suggested, but the view at the end made up for it. Walking back, I found a side street I had never noticed before, lined with tiny workshops.

Working with a 50mm lens forces you to slow down. You think twice before pressing the shutter, and that changes the pictures. A light drizzle started around ten. I sheltered under a bus stop roof and photographed people hurrying past.

The café near an abandoned railway line still serves the same cinnamon buns; I had two and pretended it was research. On the way home the train was nearly empty, so I reviewed the day's notes and planned the next trip.

It was a good reminder that interesting pictures rarely require going far.