I was struck by how the girl's hair resembles a fish and how unlikely you'd be to notice that if not juxtaposed with the store display.

It's interesting how analogous fishing and street photography are.

Streets are like rivers. Favorite spots. The art of "being quiet" and elusive. Specialized gear. The thrill of the snap. The catch. The stories about the ones that got away. A certain braggadocio and sense of camaraderie that both fisherman and street shooters share.

Down by Law

I turned and in a heart beat found myself at the exact right spot at the exact right time.

I had a camera with me; in fact I had two cameras with me. But I had violated the Second Law of Street Photography - "Always Be Composing - always." Keep the camera strapped to the hand, the aperture set, the focus locked, the shutter cocked, finger on the release.

I had two cameras with me that day - in a bag dangling from my shoulder. I might as well not brought them. The Japanese might as well not made them. Niepce might as well not invented them. Muse Street had made an offer but I had violated the Second Law.

Fortunately if you violate the Second Law, you can often take solace in the Third Law. The bittersweet saving grace Third Law of Street Photography: "if you see it once, you'll see it again." No doubt.

The Cure

I felt miserable. Stomach flu. Rolled out of bed and reached for shoes, keeping the head up to reduce the flow of blood to the temples.

I had no plans, no ideas, just a vague regret that I did not stay in bed as I stepped off the bus and into the heart of bONGOLIA. Some clown was whacking out a beat on a bunch of bottles while his buddy blew bagpipes. I did not photograph them. I would never photograph them. The sun was out, not an f8 but a good 5.6 at 1/200th. I felt better.

The Choice

A snap I have in mind that I'd particularly like to bag : An articulated bus as it rounds a corner -front and rear tires at the frame lines - ensnarling a pedestrian waiting at the curb.

To that end my strategy so far has been to just FREAK OUT whenever a bus rounds a corner within camera reach. Most often I'm too close, or the path of the bus is not right, and there never seems to be any pedestrians about to get ensnarled.

I could do the research - find out when an articulated runs, find the spot to get the angle, the time the light would be right... or I might just keep wandering around and take my chance in the wild - like a wild thing.

CAMERA MOD: $3 Low View Point LCD Screen

The idea is to attach a woman's compac mirror to reflect the LCD of a DSLR for waist level viewing.

I chose the SCUNCI compac - made in the People's Republic Of China and available in North America from the Kmart Corporation for about $3US (tell them bONGO sent you). The SCUNCI compac mirror stays put at any angle is small enough not to interfere with the viewfinder yet big enough to reflect the full LCD of a Pentax K10D.

Drill a hole through the magnified mirror side and attach to the tripod socket - or a strip of gaffer's tape can be used to hold the SCUNCI to the base. The image will be upsidedown and since DSLRs do not have live pre-view, you'll have to first make a "framing" exposure.

SCUNCI- when you need to check more than your lipstick.