Street Snapper

Street Photography by Andy Hawthorne

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A Balancing Act

This guy was performing balancing acts in Covent Garden, London.

He’d gathered quite a crowd of onlookers — because the Christmas shoppers were out in numbers.

And Covent Garden was adorned with Christmas tinsel, ribbons and shiny baubles to give it the seasonal vibe.

But if I wanted to capture the scene, I had a problem.

It was rammed with people. And short of shoving people out the way, my angles of view were restricted.

Also, I needed to get a shot that showed what he was doing.

Because of those issues, I manoeuvred my way between some onlookers and framed up the scene.

But I was too far away.

So, I moved in closer, nodding and smiling away to encourage people to let me squeeze into a gap.

Then, I tried framing the shot.

This time, I was in a better position.

But now the guy was stood explaining what he was about to do. But not doing it.

Therefore, I waited. And waited…

Then, he started his act.

At about the time I was starting to think it wasn’t going to be worth the wait.

So, he balanced on his ladder. And I balanced whether waiting for the right shot was worth it.

A balancing act indeed.