The bystanders are the most interesting

So often what’s happening behind or alongside or accidentally photo-bombing is so much more interesting than the posed subject of my photographs.

The below picture is of my two daughters and my niece, more than a few years ago. But wait. In back of the frame are my two brothers’-in-law. My sister’s husband David is helping Veronica’s brother Vincent with his lunch. It’s a sweet picture that captures a sweet moment in our family.As John Updike might put things, such incidental photographic details give the mundane its beautiful due.

Three weeks ago, I was walking through the park, and happened to encounter a family celebrating a Quinceañera. I looked up to see the young 15-year-old posing for a studio picture. It was a sweet scene. I figured I would take a snapshot. Stage right was a proud young lady posing for her portrait, hamming it up a bit for the camera. Stage left, was the professional photographer.

But wait. Come to think of it, there’s also a man holding a baby, maybe the proud father. And there center-stage are two girls, maybe thirteen years old. One of them spotted my camera, pointed, and laughed at the moment I pulled the shutter. Bingo. (I blacked out the young women’s faces, since I didn’t have their permission to post on social media.)

A week later, I bought a new point-and-shoot camera, and took a few snapshots with it by Daley Plaza. A Turkish fashion show was underway. I snapped the below picture. Who is that woman in the background behind the glass? She looks a little spooky. I found it reassuring that she’s carrying a large soda, probably from the nearby McDonald’s.