NZ Visual Diary - entry 177

focus and vacancy - Te Komititanga Square

Street photography is a challenging visual genre. To do it well one needs to have mastered the technical nuances of camera and developed a hyper-sensitivity to the rhythms of the street. It requires a dual focus on visual precision and story-telling.

I have adopted a proven street technique of planting oneself in a place that is both visual appealing and busy with pedestrian traffic, and waiting for a photographic moment.

Te Komititanga Square is one of my favourite spots. It is a main thoroughfare for people making their way from the Ferry Wharf or Britomart Train Station to the shops and cultural attractions of Auckland’s city centre.

Having found my spot the other day from which to observe, I surveyed the square looking for an interesting visual story.

My photograph is a study of intensity and vacancy: two men locked in earnest but fleeting conversation; another hypnotised by screen; yet another staring toward Queen Street, perhaps aimlessly or fixed on an approaching friend or lover; and lastly, the only woman in the picture, a model in a large poster practised in the pose of vacant allure.