What's poppin, people? It's Dante. Welcome to Module five, Working the scene. This is probably one of the more important modules in this lecture series, and so please stay tuned as we discuss working the scene. And so, before we even jump into the first lesson, I want to share with you the behind the scenes of that photograph you just saw of those two Palestinian men kissing. This is the contact sheet. So welcome to working the scene. I'm making lots of frames. I spent time in the masjid and I was praying. And then as I came out of the masjid, these men greeted me and invited me to drink tea and coffee. And I gathered around and made photos of their family. And as the scene unfolded, I continued to press the shutter, moving into their home, photographing the people. But it was, of course, that gesture of the kiss that I was intrigued by. And so when working the scene is really critical in order to come home with anything. I believe, when it comes to layering and street photography, where now we have this particular frame of this kiss that's extremely, you know, emotional, we have that sort of human impactful moment of that gesture of the kiss. We have these two figures that shape like a heart in the foreground in relationship to that man smoking a cigarette. And of course, that sort of small detail of this man holding a coffee. And so these three layers came together very naturally through the way that I position my body at the scene. But it all came down to the way in which I engaged with humanity and experienced this scene and watched it unfold naturally. And so, as you saw in the contact sheet, coming from the masjid, photographing the family, and then a spontaneous, candid moment occurs. You get invited into the home, you drinking tea and coffee. You know, working the scene is something that goes very deep. And so what does it mean to work a scene? A scene is not necessarily just a moment, right? A moment is brief, you know, but a scene. A scene contains moments. And you choose the structure and let time do the work. You allow the scene to unfold naturally. So whether you're watching children on a playground or people outside of a church, these kind of situations can become a scene, right? Something where there's activity, something where you can sense the possibility of something occurring. But a scene isn't necessarily just a moment. And so here we have a photograph of a moment, right? We have a moment of this boy throwing a baby stroller against the wall that separates Israel and Palestine with a looming shadow emerging on the wall. And so you may look at this photograph and think it was a quick one and done Snapshot. But I'm here to dispel that myth for you and what it means to work the scene. Working the scene means moving your body, adjusting things, changing your composition when you see something unfold. And as you see in this contact sheet, I was initially photographing the scene with a flat composition, using the background of the wall to create a background. However, I adjusted my body at a 45 degree angle in relationship to the moment of the boy throwing the stroller and the wall receding into the background. The added depth to this picture very naturally through me working the scene and positioning my body in a different way at the end when I made this frame. And so it really comes down to making more pictures, adjusting your body and responding to the moment and really being there and being present and not leaving the scene until the scene leaves you. You really want to wait and sort of anticipate when you're making pictures. And so when you're out there and you're photographing, choose the scene first. Right here in Mumbai, I saw these children playing outside of this beautiful wall. It was colorful. And I noticed a scene. I noticed something that had potential. I noticed a colorful background, I noticed the beautiful light, I noticed the dog and the way that all of these different elements were occurring from the boy playing with the basketball. And I tried to sort of stay there and be present until the moment sort of unfolded. And then I made the picture of the decisive moment. But in order to work a scene, you. You first have to choose the scene. You have to understand the different relationships that you can make at a scene and then stay there. And so waiting is active. Waiting is all about watching for movement, tracking the light, noticing the repetition, and learning the rhythm and the beat of the street. And so, as I photographed this scene in Mumbai, India, of this barber shaving that man here on the street, I was observing the way the women were engaging with the sidewalk and the way that the people were passing by this scene. And then I waited for that decisive moment, watching the movement to capture that moment of the woman in the foreground holding the fish on her head. And so repetition will reveal opportunity. And when you work a scene, you're going to start to notice the things that repeat. You'll notice the different patterns that emerge. You'll notice the way the birds fly throughout the frame. And these kind of things that you recognize can create luck. And so when you become familiar with repetition of the environment that you're photographing, you can then hone in on your intuition and come home with a strong photo and so the frame improves over time. As you're working a scene, you know where your physical positioning will refine the composition. Whether you get close, step back, move left, move right. The timing of your click of the shutter will sharpen that sort of instinct when you press it. You know, where I believe that all photography comes down to is your awareness and your physical positioning. And so a lot of the best photos when you're working a scene come later on in, in the sequence when you start to really feel the scene and adjust your body. And so it's really important to have humility when you're working a scene, right? You're gonna have to accept boredom and let some moments pass and let others come to you, but you're gonna stay there anyway and trust the process. And so working the scene is all about recognizing something, seeing the possibility of something. You know, when I approached this scene in Mumbai, India, I saw these people that were gathered around the rocks. We had the beautiful golden light. There was a child playing in the foreground. And I noticed the way the birds were flying. And we had this beautiful background of the sk. And I positioned myself at this moment for a few minutes, and I was waiting and observing. And then as the bird flew by, I clicked the shutter at the right time, combining all of the elements from the foreground to the background, but accepting the boredom that nothing's really happening, but something could happen. And so this will build consistency. You'll start to approach the street, working the scene and miss fewer frames. Right? You're going to start to have a stronger language and improve faster. When you actually go out there and understand that you must be patient in order to build a constant sort of flow of layered photos. It's not necessarily something that you can just go out and hunt and take one picture and move on. But working this scene is all about staying present and allowing these things to unfold naturally. And so make sure that when you're out there, you're choosing a scene and you're committing to it and you're patient and you accept boredom, and then you respond when the moment happens. Right? You have to really find yourself throwing yourself out there on the front lines of life. You know, engaging with life, engaging with humanity. And essentially, through that process of waiting and through that process of engaging and being patient, the timing will come and your intuition will tell you when to click the shutter. But it really does come down to your physical positioning, being patient, and then allowing things to unfold naturally. And so now we're going to talk about patience and letting the frame build where patience is active, right? This isn't just passive waiting. You're going to have focused awareness when you're patient and observant. You know, when I see a scene unfold, I'm watching for movement, I'm tracking the light. And it's really important for you to stay there and be present. And so patience is critical. I believe that rushing will kill layers because you'll start to have incomplete gestures. There will be overlapping elements and there will be unresolved frames. But when you have patience, you can allow the different pieces of the puzzle fall into place. And so let the frame assemble, right? Allow the background to hold the structure, the light to define the space, and the people will enter naturally. Okay? So alignment will happen more so than not. You might believe that you have to force something, but actually, if you're just patient and you wait, the scene will unfold exactly how it was supposed to be. And so you really can't force these kind of layered shots. You really have to be patient. This is the most critical component that you must possess in order to make a layered frame. And so micro adjustments, these things matter, those half step movements, those small shifts of your body, the way that your height changes, these will refine the photograph without having to completely reset the composition. And so those small micro adjustments matter when working a scene. And you really have to trust your gut through waiting, you'll have to start to recognize patterns. You know, when you're out there and you're looking at life, you know, anticipate, you know, but this comes through patience and being observant. And so you really have to trust the process and be patient. As you can see, I made this photograph of this scene here in Baltimore, observing a bus stop, one of my favorite places to practice street photography. And I was observing as this man was smoking a cigarette, of course, but I was really interested in that boy who was leaping onto the brick wall. And so I was essentially, as you can see in the contact sheet, moving my body around the scene. You know, in the beginning of the contact sheet, I'm photographing flat. I'm photographing straight on of the moment, similar to the way that I approached that scene of the wall in Jerusalem. And so with this moment, I adjusted my body in relationship to that pattern of these boys playing and that man in the foreground smoking. And so this came through patience, through pattern recognition and then clicking the shutter at the moment where things align as the smoke emerges from the man's face. And so this is the result of the photograph that Came through patients working the scene and clicking the shutter more than less. You really have to take a lot of photos and don't shy away from shooting through the scene and allowing it to unfold naturally. Don't be afraid to take a lot of photos. And so you'll start to understand when to leave a scene. As the light collapses, the pattern breaks, the energy fades, and the scene will simply resolve or dissolve on its own. And so recognize that you don't have to sit there for the entirety of the day, right? You'll, of course, notice the patterns sort of collapse, and then you move on and go to the next scene. And so you really want to have focus when you're shooting layers in street photography. You really need patience and allow these layers to sort of separate naturally. But you're going to want to stay at that scene that you're photographing until you start to see the clarity, and then you move on. And so now we will discuss practicing at choke points, a very important topic to discuss in order to influence the way that you will go out there and work scenes. And so, essentially, what is a choke point? Right? A choke point is essentially movement that is constrained in a particular place, whether it's a bus stop, a corner, a place where there's a market. You know, there's a lot of different places that you can find a choke point in the streets, wherever you may be. And a choke point is essentially a place where you can predict the paths of the people walking. When you're at a street corner, you have a clean background. You set your structure. You observe the people as they move on the sidewalk. And you can essentially anticipate through these sort of observations that you make with the natural repetition of what's going on at these scenes. And so a choke point is essentially just a place where there is energy, a place where there is movement, a place where there's people, a place where people must pass through. And you can find yourself at a bus stop, in a marketplace, on a street corner. You know, there's a variety of places where you can practice working the scene at a choke point. And so a choke point can become a visual gym where you can go back there over and over again to practice working the scene, to practice layering. And I believe that choke points work because there's less chaos, right? You can start to refine your timing, and you can start to understand the patterns that emerge as people gesture, as people move, and those sort of repeatable chances. It's a way for you to really hone in on Practice and repetition. And as you go back to these similar locations, layering becomes visible, and you start to understand how to work from the foreground, middle ground to the background. And so in my hometown, Philadelphia, I return to bus stops, and this is where I've essentially honed in on the practice of layering, is returning to the same bus stop over and over again, understanding the relationship between the foreground, sidewalk, and background so that I can create depth and layers in my frames. And so a choke point will simplify the process for you, right? Where you'll have a fixed background, you'll have limited entry points from the left to the right. You'll understand that these fewer variables can actually create easier separation for you to make a complete layered frame. And so when you're out there and you're photographing at these choke points, of course you want to follow the light, right? Where the light can influence the way that the energy of the street sort of comes together in the layered frames that you make, where if you're at a doorway and there's a beam of light entering, that can help you with your layering technique that can give shape and form to the thing that you're photographing. And I believe that light plus a choke point equals energy. And so you want to really find yourself at a choke point that has strong light that will allow for those layers and depth to simply emerge naturally through contrast and separation. And when you're working a scene, you want to stay longer than comfortable, right? These patterns will emerge over time, and your timing will improve through the longer you stay. And so as you go out there and you work a scene, your confidence will build. You'll become more comfortable with standing around with your camera, anticipating these moments, rather than hunting and reacting quickly. And so I don't leave the scene until the scene leaves me. This is my mantra when it comes to photographing in the street, where repetition will train the eye. By going out there and repeating the same sort of photographs at these same sort of scenes will allow you to influence your ability to create layered frames. Here in Zambia, Africa, I was photographing along the lake and observing the repetition each and every morning of the boys bathing in the lake. And I went back time and time again, honing in on the composition. And as I continued to return to this location, I started to see what works, and I started to train my eye. And to return to this location over and over again allowed me to hone in on the layers and the way that I can compose a picture at this same speed scene by repetition by training, by going out there with consistency. And so as you go out there with repetition and return to these choke points and work a scene, your growth will accelerate, right? You'll be putting in more reps. You'll have better timing. And the stronger your visual language will become when you go out there and you shoot. And so, really, photography, especially layering and street photography, it all comes down to consistency and repetition. And you can start to repeat these kind of compositions wherever you may be in the world. Through recognizing the repetition that requires you to sort of achieve mastery, you know, by going out there and letting the world sort of funnel. Letting yourself sit at a choke point and just watch life unfold. And so this is the art of working the scene. It's all about staying, being patient and observing life naturally. Now we will discuss movement, positioning and micro adjustments. This is incredibly important in order to make a strong and coherent layered photograph. It really does come down to your physical positioning. That will determine the result of the image in your frame. And so where you stand will decide the overlap between these different planes from the foreground to the background. You know, separation is really critical when layering. And so those simple micro movements are going to be the thing that creates the clarity in the photograph that you make. And so you'll be able to recognize what is most dominant, what is most important throughout the frame. And so these big moves that you make can also reset a scene. It can break the rhythm, and sometimes you'll lose patterns. So just be aware of your movement. Be aware of where you're standing. And a lot of the time, it really is just a micro movement to the left or micro movement to the right. That can help you influence the way that you put together a frame. And so micro adjustments are essentially those half steps, right? Those small changes in height, whether you're leaning forward, backwards, down or up. These kind of adjustments will really influence the composition. Because at the end of the day, the composition is a result of your physical position. And the micro adjustment will work. Because then you'll start to understand where the edges lie and where the four corners are and what's outside of the frame. And these relationships between the elements within your frame. Will start to make themselves come together very naturally. You know, we're here. I made a very small micro adjustment. To relate these different elements in the frame. From the foreground of this child and mother embracing in a hug. To this small detail of that person there playing with their dog in the bottom right corner of the frame. You know, where this relationship was built through a Small micro movement through me, adjusting my body and relationship to these things to create depth throughout the frame. And your movement will reveal the structure, you know, as you're photographing and working a scene, the way that you move through a scene will simply allow the alignment to appear naturally, right? There's something about movement that really influences the composition where the negative space will open up, the background will simplify, and you really have to trust the feeling. You have to trust the gut and that instinct as you're moving your body through a scene that allows you to see. See the different layers that emerge with clarity. And so timing and positioning is all about making sure that you're there and prepare to press the shutter. You know, the decisive moment is interesting because you think it really comes to, like this one click of the shutter, but really it's about being in the physical position and allowing time to sort of emerge and allowing the scene to unfold naturally. Clicking the shutter through the scene and then allowing the structure to sort of be the thing that gives you that control, that allows for clarity. And so with composition and street photography, use your body. You know, you're going to be shooting with a prime lens. When you're practicing this kind of technique, move your body close to the scene. Don't zoom with the lens, right? You want to actually make sure that you're moving left, moving right, moving closer, moving backwards, so that you can change the perspective and allow the composition and the relationships you make fold to get kind of come together naturally. Where the movement of your body is most critical in order to create a strong composition. And so with stillness, this also includes movement, right? Where sometimes when you're committed and you're still and you're observing, you can really allow the life that is moving in front of you to unfold naturally. And you're going to be able to respond calmly and not have to. To think too much, right? You're going to just respond with your gut, and you're not going to be panicking and finicking with your camera. And so there is something about stillness in the practice of layering and working the scene that is really important. And so hone in on that preparation, because as you're out there and you're still and you're observant, you will then have the ability to respond with timing and have that clarity between the different elements throughout the frame due to the way that you are patient at the scene. And so now we will discuss two simple techniques. Fishing versus hunting for layers. And essentially these two mindsets we can call Them are going to influence the result of the photographs you make. Where hunting is all about chasing, looking for moments, looking for characters, looking for people to photograph. Whereas fishing is waiting, being patient. You know, one is reactive, the other one is intentional. And so with fishing, you can start to become a lot more intentional when you're making a picture picture, you can look at the background and the way it relates to the foreground and have the intention to put together a frame with structure firstly. And so if you're trying to practice layering and you're going out there to work the scene, don't chase moments, but chase structure. And so hunting looks a little bit like this, right? You're looking at a moment that's fleeting very quickly, and you're responding with that impulse when shooting. And so it's a lot more anxiety driven, where you have to respond and react to a moment, to a scene. Whereas with hunting, it's going to fail because, you know, with layering, it's going to require structure to be built. And without that structure, you're going to have missed alignment and inconsistent results. And so with fishing, however, you can choose a scene, set the frame, wait calmly, and respond when you're ready, right? And so fishing is all about patience, observation, and simply being slow still and observing life unfold naturally. And so you already have the structure in your frame built, and now you're just responding calmly to the moment and so allow life to unfold naturally. Right? When you're working a scene, you kind of just become a fly on the wall. And this is the most beautiful part of working a scene is when you can really immerse yourself closely to an intimate moment and simply just allow the chips to fall as they may and allow life to just unfold naturally. And so fishing is going to improve your probability of making a stronger photo. Where light repeats, patterns emerge, and staying at a choke point will help you stack your odds because you're observant, because you're still impatient and recognizing these different patterns that exist in nature and human behavior, whether you're looking at the light or looking at the way that people move. And so when you're still and you're observant, you can build that structure and increase your odds of getting lucky. And so with fishing, it will also build trust as you interact at a scene and people observe you with your camera, you'll become more confident and have a calmer presence when you're out there photographing. And with that less anxiety of hunting and moving so quickly, you'll have better timing and that trust that you build with the subjects that you're photographing will allow you to work the scene and create more depth with layers in your frames. And so with this technique of working the scene, we're going to be watching things unfold naturally. And as the light collapses, the patterns break, the energy fades, leave deliberately and move on. And so with working the scene, stop chasing. You know, when you're out there and you're photographing, recognize that the fishing technique is going to help you build the moment and let life pass through your frame. And so as you're out there and you're patient and you're observant and you're finding yourself at a choke point, working the scene. Consistency will win over photographing with this more loose hunters approach of always moving, always hunting. And so that is the hunting versus fishing technique and why I encourage you to practice the fishing technique. And so why the first frame is never the best, right? The first frame is simply information, right? The first click of the shutter is merely a reaction, right? It's surprise driven. You're looking at a moment quickly, but it's really all about staying still and observing and then moving your physical body that then builds the composition naturally. And so a lot of the time the first frame isn't necessarily going to be the fully formed composition that you're looking for. And so this is where working the scene comes into place, where you start to adjust your body, you start to make more pictures, and then everything comes together naturally. And so staying in a scene changes everything, right? You'll start to have the pressure disappear, you'll start to have more time to watch these patterns emerge over and over. And your focus will improve, your positioning will start to refine, and the timing will clarify as you work a scene and stay patient. And so with repetition, you will be able to improve the frame as you make pictures. So here we have a scene of these children playing along this empty frame in Jericho. And so I'm photographing these gestures of these boys playing, climbing, moving all throughout. It's a very chaotic scene. But because I stayed patient and I made lots of pictures through repetition, the clarity between these different elements were able to emerge very naturally. And so, as you can see in the contact sheet, I'm making lots of pictures. I'm making sure that I'm shooting with repetition, moving my body in relationship to the subjects in the background to clarify what's most important in the frame. And so the first frame will teach you. You'll start to learn what overlaps, what needs separation where the light works and what to wait for. You know, it'll teach you when you should move or how you should move and position your body. And so allow the scene to sort of unfold naturally as you click the shutter throughout your movement. And see here in this contact sheet, I'm photographing this boy with his donkey in relationship to the trash that is burning with the smoke and the mountain in the background. And so I, of course, noticed this boy with the donkey, but as I photographed the scene, he was hiding from me. And then as he emerged from below and he sort of kind of gestured on top of the donkey, I clicked the shutter at that right moment. But it came through me being patient and observant and putting together the foreground in relationship to the background and then allowing that gesture to sort of emerge naturally through clicking the shutter with consistency in order to reveal the depth within this frame. And so people will leave too early when shooting because you get bored, you're restless, maybe you have false confidence, chasing novelty, going for the hunt. But when you want to improve the layering technique, you really need to stay put and accept that mundane nature of life, accept boredom, allow the scene to unfold, and really embrace that mundane sort of. Sort of approach of shooting with the fishing technique. And so when you're photographing and you're making lots of pictures at a scene, it's going to be a little bit difficult for you to then come home and choose the best frame. But. But you'll notice how to make these decisions very naturally because there will be strong separation throughout the different elements in your frame. You know, the photograph will feel resolved and look clean and easy to read. And so don't overshoot, because if you're overshooting and you're making too many pictures, you're going to start to miss the alignment. The light is going to be, you know, collapsing. And sometimes when you're making lots of pictures at a scene and you're overshooting at a particular moment, it's going to be a lot more difficult for you to clarify what you were trying to say in your frame. And so the first frame that you make, it's information, right? You're clicking the shutter at a moment and you're sort of trying to resolve that moment. And so you stay patient, you refine, you move your body, and as you work the scene and the patience that you possess pays off, you will start to put order to the chaos in the pictures that you make. And so this is a very important idea to hone in on that really, with this kind of street photography, it's very rare that you're going to press the shutter one time and have the moment sort of appear. It's going to take lots of clicks of the shutter. And so now we're going to discuss forcing your luck. And so when I make pictures, a lot of the time it's not luck, it's preparation. And so here we're going to look at an example of the rainbow fountain photograph that I made here at the Logan Square fountain in Philadelphia. Philadelphia, okay. So it was the first day of summer. I knew that there was going to be energy at this location because it's a Philadelphia tradition for people to gather with families and children and play within this park. And so I observed the park. I went there for many hours, right? And I walked around this fountain for nearly three to four hours. And I started to chat with the families. I started to work the scene. I started to photograph people on the benches around the fountain. And I sort of became a fly on the wall at this scene. And the people began to trust me. My confidence build. And then as I was watching the light shift and change and emerge, I was recognizing the idea that I could photograph a rainbow. I was recognizing the way the light casted upon this space and the way that it reflected in the water with the sort of fountain that was emerging. And I could sense that I could make a picture of a rainbow. And so I was looking at the mist and the sun's angle, and I was watching as people move things this scene. And I basically forced my luck of making this frame because I was aware of the patterns. I had confidence and trust at this environment. And I spent lots of time with patience and went forward with courage to make this frame. And so I'm going to share with you behind the scenes video of me making a picture of this moment. And listen to me speak out loud how I'm going to photograph a rainbow. I'm going to photograph a rainbow. Somebody is going to leap in front of it, and I'm going to capture them in a glorious position. And. And I've basically manifested this photograph from my dreams, you know, in a way where, like, I had the determination and I had the clarity that I could make this frame. And so these kind of moments that may seem lucky really come through preparation and being confident and courageous and working the scene. And so watch this behind the scenes video and see how the photo was made.
SPEAKER B
I'm gonna photograph the rainbow. I'm gonna photograph the rainbow. I'm speaking it into existence. Somebody's gonna leap in front of glorious position, and I'm going to photograph it right now. I'm gonna be patient, and I'm gonna wait here because I believe that I'm going to capture this image with all of my heart. I'm going to sit inside of this water until it happens.
SPEAKER A
And as you can see, working the scene pays off. As I forced my luck, I had the idea that I can make a photograph of this rainbow in relationship to the children that were playing. And so one of the most spontaneous things that occur when working a scene and being patient is that sometimes things kind of pay off in mysterious, miraculous ways. Where we have this rainbow, right? We have this arch of the rainbow that relates to this arch of the water in the top left corner of the frame. And so as much as I was aware of the different elements like the rainbow, the children, I wasn't aware of the relationship that the rainbow could play with the fountain itself. And so sometimes these little moments, they kind of surprise you, and you can force your luck through being patient, through working the scene and being prepared to click the shutter. And so belief is what's going to keep you there. When you have that commitment, you know you're going to be able to make these conditions sort of work in your favor. And so confidence and mindset plays a big role in forcing your luck. And I believe that you can pretty much photograph anything of your dreams if you put your mind to it seriously. And so the environment will also create luck for you. Right. We have this moment here that I photographed at Penn's Landing, where there's lots of people gathered throughout the frame, shadows throughout the plane. We have this beautiful background of the Ferris wheel. And the head of that woman sort of overlaps with the Ferris wheel beautifully, with the sort of bridge and this golden light. And so when you go to a location with strong light, when you see the light and shadow play and you see the patterns that are emerging through the way that people are moving throughout the frame, luck becomes predictable, and you're able to sort of force your luck in these kind of situations. And so, as you can see behind the scenes, I'm photographing on the street, observing the way that the shadows are casted upon this wall and get closer to the scene to sort of force my way into this frame by being patient. However, right? I'm kind of watching the scene unfold naturally, and then I become a fly on the wall, and I start to photograph this scene. And then as I photograph the scene, I move my body with that micro Adjustment, which then reveals the structure of the frame, which then creates the separation throughout the composition. And I believe that with this practice of making layered frames, you really need to be aware of those micro adjustments. As you saw me drop a little bit low, as you saw me move my body closer and closer to then reveal the structure of the frame. And so when you stay at a scene and you're watching life unfold and you're really working the scene, it's going to multiply your probability where you're going to start to recognize the pattern that exists over and over again. You're going to start to watch the alignment, you're going to start to recognize the gestures of the people. And you're really going to give yourself more chances of making photographs because of your patience. And so you can force your luck. You know, I really believe this. As you can see, I'm making a picture of this scene in Mumbai, India, of this bird that flew by in the background. However, I was aware of the patterns at this scene. I was aware of the possibility of this bird emerging from the background of my frame. And as I made pictures of this scene, I got what I was looking for. I forced my luck. I knew that I could make a picture of this scene. But again, it took me nearly an hour of working the scene, of walking around this fort and making pictures with consistency, and then finally achieving the result in the photo of this dynamic moment of the bird in mid flight in relationship to the window frame and the doorway. And all these things kind of fell together in place through me working the scene and forcing my luck through being prepared and recognizing the patterns of the birds, the patterns of the people, and the way the light casts upon this place and gave structure to my composition. And so you need a physical commitment when you're working the scene. As you saw, I was standing there impatient and didn't move until the scene sort of unfolded. So you really need to be present and feel like you belong in a scene. Here. I sort of approach this scene in Mumbai once again, and I recognize the potential of a photograph to make. I noticed the dog swooping by, the child playing with the basketball, the beautiful colorful wall. And then as I stayed there and was present and I didn't move, I just sort of stood there and sort of interacted at the scene, sort of being patient. This moment just occurred naturally. And it's about being there and being a fly on the wall and. And then as you're there and prepared and you're patient and your body is physically positioned at that Right moment, everything kind of falls together naturally, but it really does arrive quietly. This kind of luck, right where the subtle gesture, the clean alignment, these things are easy to miss. But if you're patient and you're observant and you respond to that intuition, these things can really deliver themselves in mysterious ways. As you can see, this scene that I photographed, Turn on red. We have two red shirts, two blue shirts, two blue signs, and a sign that says Turn on red. You know, but this came through me shooting from the gut, through recognizing this. This pattern, through recognizing the separation I could create instantly by seeing these two shirts, by seeing the two different kind of colors, and then moving my body in the proper place at the right timing to click the shutter. And of course, I didn't. I didn't see the sign that says turn on red. That was one of those mysterious things that occurred through luck. But that sort of recognition, that sort of preparation, by moving my body into the position and responding to my gut, is what puts together the frame and allows these sort of lucky moments kind of conspire quietly. And so, as you can see, the two shirts in the foreground matching with red in relationship to those two blue shirts and the two blue signs in the background, this photograph doesn't really need an explanation because it's so prominent in the way that these different layers relate. But once again, the physical positioning that I made is what allowed this frame to come together. And so, as you can see, the structure of the background allows these different elements to separate themselves. And so I needed to make sure that I sweeped my body in front of the subjects to give clear separation throughout the frame. I noticed the background of those two blue signs. I noticed the two red shirts and the blue shirts. And so I move my body in relationship to those elements and then put structure in order to the frame. And so we're not forcing people when we're making these pictures. There's no manipulation, no forced moments. We kind of just respect that these moments will unfold naturally. And so we make sure that when we're at the scene, we kind of just sit there and we're prepared, and we just allow life to unfold when we press the shutter. And so luck is something that you can build. I believe that with a belief and a confidence in your mindset and. And patience and you're in the right environment and you stay long enough, you can achieve these kind of results. You can achieve anything of your dreams with photography, when you have the right mindset, when you see with clarity, when you're prepared and you're working a scene. But it really comes down to patience, repetition and consistency and recognizing patterns. And so recognize that you can come home with any photograph of your dream. You can go out there and photograph the rainbow. You can go out there and photograph the. The different sort of dynamic scenes that you dream of. But you really have to hone in on this notion of working the scene and really stop hunting and stop always chasing. But really start to photograph with intention. And with that intention will come stronger compositions. And so you really gotta stay long enough, you know, that's the moral of the story, with working the scene. And so, thank you for watching today's module on working the scene. And I will see you in the next one.