Love in the Time of Notifications

Some street moments gift themselves to you, no chasing required.

Walking past this doorway, I spotted the “I ❤️ YOU” mural complete with a chimp offering its affection and perfectly lined up over the shoulder of someone entirely oblivious to it. Her focus was locked on her phone, brows furrowed, maybe reading a text that didn’t quite match the sentiment behind her.

The whole scene felt like a visual punchline: bold declarations of love in paint, contrasted with the quiet, distracted indifference of daily life. The bike anchored the shot, adding that grounded, urban weight, while the shopfront reflections filled in the frame’s left side with subtle layers.

Shot on the X100F in Acros the black and white strips away the distraction of colour, making the mural’s message and her expression share the same stage. It’s street photography doing what it does best, catching the split-second where life and art collide in a way that would vanish if you looked away.

Sometimes the city whispers “I love you.” Sometimes, you’re too busy checking your notifications to notice.