Athens

PHOTO OF THE MONTH BY ZISIS KARDIANOS

There is nothing I enjoy more when I’m out shooting than small crowds of people where I can merge with them and pass virtually unnoticed even when I’m photographing very close and occasionally using handheld flash. I don’t use extreme wide lenses, and I don’t want to ridicule anyone by capturing them in an awkward moment. If that accidentally happens, I don’t show the picture. In such a busy environment, I find it very challenging to pack as many elements as possible into a tight frame without the image falling apart, even as the subject is constantly shifting. This photo was taken at a street party in Athens. Besides being an exercise in the above, it is also part of an ongoing series of mine called “Fair enough!” The man in the center, who has his arms above his head, is the anchor of the image and what triggered the shot. This is what I saw. The two men on the left are almost touching heads, and it appears as if one is whispering something to the other who in turn looks dumbstruck. This is what the camera saw.