Caught in the Crosshatch

Street photography can look serious from the outside, all talk of “decisive moments” and “visual storytelling.” But the truth? Sometimes it’s just a matter of spotting life lining itself up in ways you couldn’t plan if you tried.

Take this frame. I was passing by when I noticed the lattice gate. Already, it looked like something out of a spy film, like I was about to photograph a top-secret handoff through the bars. Then, right on cue, a woman appeared. She wasn’t doing anything extraordinary, just walking back home. But framed through those crisscrossed lines, it suddenly looked like a scene straight out of a low-budget thriller.

That’s what makes it work. The heavy geometry in the foreground gives the photo all this weight and drama… while the reality behind it is just someone trying to get through their day in peace. Serious foreground, ordinary background — and when you put the two together, you get comedy.

This is why I keep shooting the street. Not every photo has to punch you in the gut with meaning. Some are just visual jokes, played out in real time by unsuspecting strangers who will never know how perfectly they fell into the frame.

So yes — Cartier-Bresson gave us the “decisive moment.” But sometimes, the street gives us the slightly ridiculousmoment. And honestly? Those are just as worth capturing.

Do you prefer your street photography serious and heavy, or do you enjoy the odd laugh when the city serves one up?