Picking a Theme
The winter streets were cold and quiet, cloaked in frost and ice. The air bit sharp, each breath turning to mist. I pulled on my coat, picked up my camera, and stepped into the cold world outside.
The pavement shimmered like glass, slick and unforgiving. Each step felt like a gamble. My boots, though sturdy, slid now and then, but I kept moving. There were photos out there waiting, and I wouldn’t let the ice stop me.
The city is different in winter. Frost clings to shop windows, turning them into canvases of delicate lines. Streets that are plain in summer now hold a quiet mystery. Even the corners no one noticed seemed touched by something ancient and soft.
I approached the railway station, the new building a bright shape against the muted grey world. I noticed people on the walkway watching the trains. So, I fired the shot.
Further on, I wandered into station building. And I saw this guy…
A caption leapt into my head… The Traveller. So I quietly grabbed the photo. He was engrossed in checking the train times on his smartphone, like it was an oracle of all knowledge.
As time went by my fingers ached even through my gloves. Adjusting the camera became a battle. Still, I couldn’t stop. But that guy in the station got me thinking. Thinking about a theme. I started to ponder whether I’d see any other travellers while my breath continued to be a cloud in the frosty air.
In the City Centre, pigeons rose above the tired buildings. , Their wings catching the odd bright spot in the clouds. I pressed the shutter. It was a quiet scene, but it spoke of survival—the city enduring winter as it always does.
And then it happened. Walking towards me was a lady wheeling her suitcase. Everything about her demeanour said she was off on a journey. I kept my camera at waist level and let her get closer. Then, I fired the shot.
I now had something of a theme. Between the station shot, the guy checking times and now the lady with her suitcase.
Time for home.
When I finally got home, my toes were numb. But the images were there on my screen, and they were worth it. Winter photography is cold and hard. It’s not kind. But it shows the city in ways you’d never see otherwise. If the cold calls, answer it. Wrap up, tread slow, and let your lens find the magic.
And let the themes come to you. I didn’t set out to photograph people on the move. It happened that way.