Walk on by

I happened upon this hand-crafted point-of-sale advertising on a sidewalk in front of an ice ream/candy store in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. I thought it might be interesting to set up a long exposure shot to show the motion of people walking by.

I set up a tripod low to the ground and set the exposure time to 1/4 second, then waited for groups of people to approach. Without looking through the viewfinder, I tripped the shutter as they passed. Most weren’t aware that their feet had been photographed. Some, seeing the camera, stopped ahead of the sidewalk art until I motioned for them to pass through. And as they did, I shot them, of course.

This shot was my favorite among the several exposures taken. I like the contrast of the moving feet with the shoes of the gentleman sitting on the bench, already having made a purchase in the store, as evidenced by the bag beside him. He is in repose as the rest of the world walks by, treading on the message designed to prevent them from doing so.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2007 James Jordan.