Montreal, Comic-Com
“The pictures are there, and you just take them.”
— Robert Capa
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I like people, I don’t particularly like crowds, even less so when I’m out photographing. It’s ironic. While street photography is all about people, when you have too many they begin get into the way.
I was confronted by this issue at a crowded Comic-Con Convention in Montreal, where it was almost impossible to photograph a character without including a hodgepodge of colorfully costumed people in the background and sometimes in the foreground, too. It was a madhouse of extraterrestrials, superheroes, and villains.
Instead of continuing to roam the floor seeking a spontaneous “street” photo, I decided to hunt down a clean background. I found one in a corridor, parked myself on a bench, and waited. Soon this couple approached. I jumped up and asked for a portrait. Without a word, they snapped into this pose.
Some street photographers always ask permission to take a picture. Others never do. I fall into neither camp. This convention was all about style, flash, costume, creativity, and spunk. They and I played along. They wanted attention, I wanted a surprising, colorful picture. This photo celebrates the drama of Comic-Con.
