Waiting for a Taxi

“Look, the taxi is coming now. I see it!”
“It better be Afonso driving. He owes me €10 from the other night.”
“Oh, doesn’t look like it. Not his car. You lent him that money to buy a gift for his mom, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, He paid far too much for a little figurine, but his mom loves it.”
“Ah, that’s all that matters. It was worth the money then.”
“Hmm. I guess you’re right.”
“You know you’ll never see that money again?”


Apertureƒ/2.8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length24mm
ISO125
Shutter speed1/500s

MOSTLY FALSE REPORTS

A few days ago, I received my copy of MOSTLY FALSE REPORTS. It’s a book I funded through Kickstarter by Stephen Leslie.

It’s a book of street photography, but if that genre doesn’t interest you, you’ll probably still be interested in this book. Stephen has included a story alongside each photo. They’re inspired by the accompanying photo, and some are hilarious. I love the ones about the hedge animals. You’ll find a few more of his photos on this page. Stephen is on Instagram too.

The question prompted by the photo above is one I think about a lot. “Do people mind you taking their photos?”

The Kickstarter campaign is over but, Stephen has a few extra copies and I can recommend buying a copy for the photographer in your life, or indulge in a copy for yourself.

While you’re here, have a look at Stephen’s website for several galleries full of photos, including a few from the book.

Dreaming of Handstands

Wandering around Lisbon I came across this bus stop in the middle of the city. The guy pictured in the back of the bus stop caught my attention, contrasting nicely with the people waiting at the stop.

When I got home, I looked up the text, “O SONHO NÃO PARA, ARRANCA”, it says, “THE DREAM DOESN’T STOP, IT STARTS”. I guess his dream was to do handstands?


Apertureƒ/2.8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length24mm
ISO100
Shutter speed1/800s

The Tram in the Window

We took a trip around Lisbon on a tourist tram. It’s probably not worth it unless you’re obsessed with taking photos, so I loved it.You do get to see a lot of the city, and it is relaxing. It is cheaper to get an ordinary tram, say route 28, and sight see that way, but you’ll be bumping into annoyed locals then.

This is sort of a selfie as I can be seen sitting at one of the windows of the tram reflected in this mirrored window.


Apertureƒ/2.8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length24mm
ISO400
Shutter speed1/500s

In Ler Devagar

Ler Devagar is a bookshop in the LX Factory in Lisbon. Books line the walls on shelves too far up to reach, and of course, most of them are in Portuguese. There are a few in English, and even a few photography books. Unfortunately, many of them concentrate on architecture, but there was a really nice book on shopfronts in Paris.

A man with a dog in a bookshop, with a woman walking up the stairs, looking at the books as she goes.

A dog in a bookshop! Try that in Ireland and the staff will chase you out of the shop. It was lovely to see dogs allowed in shops and some restaurants.

Two people looking at their phones in a bookshop. Shelves of books line the wall.

When in a bookshop, look at your phone. Oh, here’s a fire extinguisher too!


Apertureƒ/2.2
CameraGalaxy S23 Ultra
Focal length2.2mm
ISO800
Shutter speed1/25s

Look into my eyes

Sometimes I’m making photos on the street, or in this case, photographing from a moving tram, and someone will make eye contact. They’ll stand out from the crowd because they are different and made a connection.


Apertureƒ/2.8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length24mm
ISO1250
Shutter speed1/500s

Cobbles, Light and Shadow

I visited the Igreja Paroquial da Graça (Church of Our Lady of Grace) in Lisbon early one morning. There’s a beautiful view of the city, but if you look behind and around you’ll find these lovely cobbles. In the early morning, the houses opposite cast a shadow on the street and on the wall of the church, and I loved it.


Apertureƒ/8
CameraILCE-7M3
Focal length24mm
ISO400
Shutter speed1/500s

A VW bus at the Arc de Triomphe

We had just come out of the metro with our suitcases from the airport when I saw this VW bus, or as I’ve just found out, a Volkswagen Type 2, pulled over to the side of the road on the busy roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

It was a lovely August day and this vintage vehicle was a perfect foreground to the magnificent monument in the background.

The man in the hat looking out the sunroof had a nice view of everything. I’m glad they stopped there. 🙂


Apertureƒ/2.2
CameraGalaxy S23 Ultra
Focal length2.2mm
ISO50
Shutter speed1/3600s

Red and Blue and a Bike

In the back of a taxi, looking out through a window laden with drops. The warm red and orange lights from street lighting and the rear brakes of a Tesla win against the cold, almost blue headlights of a passing car.
A bike in the background belongs to someone who isn’t home yet.


Apertureƒ/1.7
CameraGalaxy S23 Ultra
Focal length6.3mm
ISO1600
Shutter speed1/17s

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