For French speakers, Amsterdam is the penultimate port where the drama of life is depicted in Jacques Brel's famous song. For others Amsterdam is where anything goes. And for the rest of the world Amsterdam is dams, raw herring with onions, music, great food and beer.
And all of these characters of the city have been captured in songs, on film and in history. On my many trips to Amsterdam, I have tried to find an angle that would be less observed and a picture composed to reflect the poly-culturality of this amazing city.
This one may come close to my goal: Tibetan musicians were playing their zen music in a tunnel linking two major streets in the center of Amsterdam. Contre-jour, wanted to get the feel of the tunnel, the arches, the musicians. After waiting a few seconds, the musicians stopped playing, put their instruments down, and I thought I missed my shot. Then a group walked through the sunny entrance giving that eerie feel of aliens... And it felt like the Tibetan musical cords had called them in!
The second picture is of the same tunnel, taken later in the day. When people are gone, there is no street photography! It also makes the point, I think, that anticipating or immediately reacting to a natural composition is the first requirement of street compared to landscape photography where you have time to compose, retake, and experiment with light. When you are walking the streets and if you "see" a story, it does not matter what camera or what lens you have. All that matters is that you have a camera with you!
Taken with a Nikon F and Nikkor 50mm 1.4 lens.
©Vahé Kazandjian, 2013
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