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.