A couple of weeks ago, I was waiting in the car for my wife to come back from the pharmacy. I got restless and started shooting pictures of our dog, who patiently posed in the rear-view mirror. After a while, I started looking for shapes and forms inside the car to capture, instead of having a million photos of our beloved family member already, and I noticed that a car was just parked next to mine.

Needless to say, I was elated.

Or rather, as elated as a semi-bored aspiring photographer stuck in a car with the AC blasting, protecting our dog from the scorching sun, can get.

Finally, something happened! The door opened, and a man appeared. I bent down, I turned to the left, then to the right, I held the camera closer to the mirror, then further away, trying to fit the figure within the frame. And all of a sudden, it all came together. I managed to frame him, fused into his own car. His arm forever a part of the car’s body, frozen in time. It was all a happy little accident, reminiscent of when I, as a writer, stumble into unknown territory, following words and concepts to their surprisingly self-evident conclusion, once I get there. If I hadn’t started bringing my camera with me everywhere I go, if I hadn’t started looking for new angles, and different perspectives to make my own world a little bit more, not necessarily coherent, but interesting, even weird, I wouldn’t have even noticed that fleeting moment.

I’m glad I did.

So when I’m not sitting at my desk trying to write a collection of short stories, I’ll continue to let the camera lead the way into the world. When I get back inside, I’m sure there will be stories to be told.

What are the TWO most impactful features that make your image a good photograph? Don’t be shy!

Juxtaposition and the element of surprise, once you see it.

If you could make this photo again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or differently?

Since it was a lucky shot in the dark, I couldn’t really plan for it to happen. But I guess I could have cleaned my car a bit….

Mats Kolmisoppi shared this photograph with the FRAMES Facebook Group.

Photographer

Mats Kolmisoppi, Malmö, Sweden

Equipment and settings

Lumix DMC-Gx80, Olympus 17mm, f11, 1/160