From the day
Perspective: The Street Photographer · Sight
The flash powder clings to the humid August air as I frame a shop girl in her stiff high-collared lace, squinting through my viewfinder at the grit of the city. A newsboy shouts about the British censoring mail at Manila, his grime-streaked face a perfect contrast to the velvet ribbons of the passing high-society ladies. I hum "Poor Butterfly" to keep my hands steady, the tune drifting from a nearby gramophone and drowning out the rattle of the streetcars. I’m hoping to sell enough snapshots today to catch the new movies tonight and finally scrub this chemical scent from my skin.