It was an early Saturday morning in March, and I was on my way to a day of shooting the Paris streets with my friend Sab Will. I was about to take the metro at the Trocadéro station, which a few days later would close for a thorough upgrade.
I spotted the colorful chairs across the tracks, and immediately realized I 'had' a picture. I was left with only a few moments without trains or passengers 'disturbing' the image, I managed to capture no more than two frames.
What attracted me was the simplicity of the composition: strong horizontals, the cold fluorescent lights, the blotches of vibrant green and red, the desolate name sign, the already emptied ad spaces... I kept the tracks and ceiling in the frame on purpose: they strengthen the panoramic view, create some distance from the camera and thus add to the 'size' of the scene.
This image happened to me in a brief flash, and though I waited a little longer the opportunity for more shots was gone: life-as-usual in the metro station simply took over. But I have been wondering since that day what stories I could have created on top of this simple scene, if only I had been in control. Just image one or two willing people that you could direct to play a part in some tableau vivant...?
Gear notes: D700, AF-D 35/2.0
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