An opportunity of this sort comes once in a while. It is the instinct I listen, not that I constantly chase for opportunities. I don't believe true art will emerge when you worry about productivity.
In this instance I was on my way to work in a rather chilly morning. Everyday I get off from the train three stations before my work place and I briskly walk for half an hour, daily exercise to stay fit.
I was waiting at red lights and I saw this gentleman on the other side of the road waiting for a right turn. He had this unusual retro chic, out of this place elegance, riding a beautiful white Harley Davidson, wearing a white trench coat and white helmet. That was enough to make me shiver. I reached my bag, took my camera, secured the wrist loop, just about then his light turned to green, I pointed and shot without time to focus.
At home I looked at the picture in my editing tool Lightroom. My subject appeared a bit far as I shot in 28 mm mode. So I cropped probably equivalent to 50 mm, this made him closer. However I wasn't happy with colours interfering with my subject's black and white presence, attracting too much attention away from him. Hence I decided to switch to black and white. I played with Silver Efex Pro classic black and white filters.
Like William Klein (my idol), I like bending rules. For me this picture should represent another time perhaps sixties, seventies in terms of its light, dynamism and composition. It had to reflect naivety of retro combined with digital imperfection. Therefore a sharper picture would probably ruin what I wanted to achieve. In that regard it is a perfect picture, because it matches what goes on in my psyche perfectly, capturing a lost time.
