The Art of photography

theglassisreflectingsomedark,

featurelessobject.This kindofreflection

willbevirtuallyinvisible,andthe

camerawillbeabletopeerthrough

the

glassatthetrees.Happily,

justsuchadarkbackgroundisreadilyavailable

to

him:Hewill

standinapositionwheretheglass

wallsreflectoneofthe

hugeblackmarblecolumns.

Whenhestepsbetween

onecolumnandtheglassandraisestheview-

findertohiseye,he

seesthathispicturewillincludeaviewofthearcade

Stretchinginto

thedistance,itgivesasenseofthebuilding's

size.Healso

noticesthatatthisanglethecolumndoesnotblockall

thereflectionsfrom

acrossthestreet.Theviewfinder

showsthatthereflectionofanofficebuild-

ingwillappearintheright-hand

portionofthepicture.Butthemore

reflectionsthemerrier,

hethinks,aslongasthepottedtreesarestillvisible.

The

addedimageswillmakethepicturemoreinteresting.Satisfied,

head-

juststhefocusandexposureandshoots

thepicture,certainthatitwillbe

oneofthebesthehasevertaken.Heis

mistaken.

Whenhe

seestheprint(page14)severaldayslater,hecannothelpwincing.

Theresult

isnotatallwhathehadinmind.Thepictureseemsmuddledand

pointless.Foronething,thetrees—primeobjectsof hisattention—

are barely

visiblethroughtheglass.Intheshadowedlobby,theyhave

practicallynodra-

maticimpact;theyare

upstagedbythemorebrightlylitarcadeandthereflec-

tionsofthe

outdoors.Andthesereflectionsareconfusing.Carsandtrucksthat

hefailedtoseewhenhelookedthroughtheviewfinderappeartobedriving

rightthroughthelobby.Thereisareflectionofanothertree—outdoors—that

bluntshispointabouttheironyofimporting

natureintothealienworldofa

modernbuilding.This

outdoortreeisleafless,settingupdistractingquestions

abouttheseasonandtherequirementsforgrowth.

Thelistofdefectsseemsendless.Hewonderswhyhetrippedtheshutter

justwhenthewomaninthelobbyturnedherheadaway.Hewonderswhy

he

didnotnoticethedimreflectionofanotherbuilding

at

thefarright-hand

side

ofthepicture,orwhyhedidnotspotthereflectionofthestrangesacklying

atthefootofthemarblecolumn.Howcouldhehavechosenahorizontalfor-

matforthepicture,insteadofaverticalonemoresuitedtoskyscraper

verticality?Thefailureofhispictureisobvious.Insteadofaccordingithonor

inhiscollection,hethrowsitinthewastebasket.

Scenario2:Lateintheafternoonasecondphotographerwandersby.He,

too,observesthepottedtreesandisintriguedformanyofthesamereasons

asthefirstphotographer.Bynowthesunislowerinthesky,andashaftof

lightisstreamingintothelobby,settingtheleavesablaze.However,thetops

ofthetreesarestillinshadow.Hedecidestopostponephotographingthe

sceneuntilthesunhasdescendedafewmoredegrees,fullyilluminatingthe