As a street photographer, I look to Metropolitan Museum of Art for my photographic inspiration. Every form, every period, every style, and every location of art is located in the MET. I usually make three or four visits to the MET every year. I love to wander and roam through the MET galleries. I usually don’t have a camera. I use my iPhone as I wander to capture images of “stuff”. The “stuff” usually triggers something that becomes a photographic project. There are always stops I make at the MET: all the Chagall, Van Gough, and Hopper paintings – these three artist are my original street photographers.

During April 2022, I did have my Fujifilm X100V with me at the MET. My plan was to walk over to the Ukrainian Embassy after the MET to take some photos of the ad-hoc tribute that was being organised outside the embassy gate supporting the Ukrainian people and their defence of their homeland. I was at the MET right when it opened around 10AM. There was a family with two teenagers in front of me in the line, waiting to go through security. One of the teenagers was very vocal about not wanting to be at the museum so early. After about an hour, I walked into one of the main galleries and there, in front of me was that same teenager lying on the bench in front of the painting. I turned my camera and was able to take two quick photos. I didn’t even have time to check my camera settings. I know the camera was open to f/2 and ISO was set to AUTO, that’s about it. I did shoot the image in black and white. I had downloaded the image to my iPad and thought it was a good image, but not the best image I took that day.

Moving forward one year, I decided to enter the photo in the SPG 2023 National Competition for a very cool NYC photo gallery called the SOHO Photo Gallery. Over 1200 submissions from 115 photographers, 40 images were selected, and my photo was 1 of the 40. Show opens July 13th and runs for two weeks.

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

1. It’s serendipitous.
2. The subject and the story in the frame work.

If you would be able to make this photo once again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or different?

I might have waited to get to people walking in the two doorways on the side galleries. Preferably both walking out of the gallery at the same time through the two doors. No faces, just their body outlines.

Dan Fiore shared this photograph in the FRAMES Facebook Group.

Photographer

Dan Fiore, New Jersey, USA

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Equipment and settings

Fujifilm X100V
f/2, Auto ISO