Street humour and absurdity among the chaos.....

This being the year of the great corona virus pandemic and with all the implications that encompasses, closed shops restaurants, cultural events etc etc., the city is going to be a lot quieter than usual. Winter passes into spring very rapidly in these parts---one moment we are all freezing, almost the next, it is pleasantly sunny & warm. The good citizens, especially the young, change also from being cosseted in thick down jackets to sporting t-shirts, shorts and assorted skimpy summer wear--- enjoying their first chance to see and be seen. Spring is street photographer's paradise.
                    It has always been my first impulse on the streets to look for humour and absurdity among the chaos, unintentional and spontaneous. Typically I do not photograph street performers and attention seekers. They are not acting naturally and seem contrived. Having said that, the audiences for the street performers DO represent opportunities for my lens, as they react unselfconsciously to the performance.
                    Incongruity is another of my fascinations on the street. The over-weight and weary middle aged male walking in front of the shop window display that highlights young and attractive things energetically strutting their stuff, the smoker standing in front of the large no smoking sign---you get the idea. These types of scenes or set-ups, can be planned to a degree, in advance. When I spot a provocative sign like the no smoking example, I will loiter-- for no more than 5 minutes, as I tend to be somewhat of an impatient person. With Lady Luck on my shoulder, I will capture the appropriate unsuspecting target who will sally forth at the precise moment into my viewfinder and illustrate  my story.
What do I NOT photograph on the streets? Early on in my street career I did occassionally photograph the less fortunate including those who live outside, in shop doorways etc. In deference to my own sensibilities, I no longer shoot these pictures, unless I receive their specific approval, sometimes offering the price of a coffee for their cooperation.
NEVER do I take photos of children. In earlier years I did have a couple of nasty confrontations on city streets when my lense had been pointed at parents and their off-springs and I had to call the police for my own protection. In the second of the incidents, I believe that I was the victim of an attempted shakedown. Do not wish to repeat these experiences, so I am very careful as to what I shoot.
I always carry copies of the local (Ontario, Canada) laws and regulations regarding citizen rights to privacy in my back-pack.
Notes on photos above. In both cases, I seem to have captured couples that seems to be in stages of boredom with each other. Inter-personal relationships and trying decipher--always interesting.

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