Recently we drove over to El Dorado Mall to quote prices of white paint for a painting job at our house. It was then when I stumbled into a stunning yellow sofa at the entrance of the paint shop. We found the prices to be quite steep, a severe blow to our cash strapped budget. We couldn’t buy the paint, so we headed back home thinking about opening a savings account to accumulate enough money to buy the paint in the future.
On the way back we dropped over at El Rey Supermarket to buy some food. While my wife was combing the aisles, I searched for a chair, since I have a problem in my back and can’t stand up for extended periods of time. I was fortunate in finding an empty chair in front of a Western Union’s site located inside El Rey.
While I waited for my wife perched in my comfortable chair, I observed the customers of Western Union waiting in line for their turn to make their money transactions. Still under the spell of street photographer, Vivian Mair, I fetched my concealed camera under my sweater and took a furtive shot of the scene before me. I did it swiftly, since taking picture inside the supermarket is not allowed. I usually don’t like to break the law, but it was difficult for me not to follow Ms. Mair’s steps, capturing reality whenever you can.
Below is a snapshot of several clients waiting in line at a Western Union branch inside El Rey Supermarket of El Dorado Mall in the best spirit of Ms. Mair. As you can see I’m becoming addicted to black and white street photography. Here we go.
Snapshot of a couple of young women patiently waiting in line for their turn to be attended by a Western Union clerk inside El Rey Supermarket in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
I read the book or a book about Ms. Mair and enjoyed it. And the photo you got is perfect. It even looks as if it was taken in secret. I use my small point and shoot Lumix camera the same way but often outside in the back yard. I will put the camera on my belly and walk around and snap pictures of plants or flowers.
It is that perspective that is not only distracting to the viewer of the picture, who is trying to imagine how I bent over to take the picture, but at the same time a good picture. And it looks great or best in black and white. This way there is no single standout, no garish blouse or shoes. All just reduced to the same black and white and that is hard to do.
I would trade my Canon camera for a Fuji Fine Pix 100x (I think it is) because it mimics, almost exactly, the camera I used while in Japan. Film of course as color was not out then and this camera was the nuts for shooting people.
Hello Abe:
Thanks for dropping by. I just came back from visiting your blog and enjoyed your pictures of soft snow. I wish we would have some snow in Panama, albeit not too much of it. Warm weather is nice too.
I love Ms. Vivian Maier and her extraordinary work of over 100,000 pictures. It’s amazing to see her passion for street photography. I recently purchased a Canon DSLR (Canon EOS Rebel T2i with an EF-S 18.55 IS Kit). I know this is not a professional lens, but I have to crawl before I can walk, if you understand what I mean.
Glad to see that you are enjoying a better health. You never stop creating.
Take Care,
Omar.-
One of the wonderful ways that Panama outshines the United States, France and Spain, countries where I have lived, is that all public places of business such as banks, utility companies and the like are required BY LAW to have a special line for seniors (Jubilados). And when I’m at the bank to pay my rent I use that line and the tellers always give precedence to those of us in that line yet I’ve never felt any hostility from those in the regular line when I’m called on ahead of them.
Hi Richard:
Yeah, that’s right. Jubilados are given the red carpet in Panama. We are given special discounts in hotels, airline tickets, medicines, water bills, telephone bills, electricity bills and so forth. It’s the only way to make ends meet.
Jubilado’s lines also move a lot faster than the normal lines.
Regards,
Omar.-