… and trying to find our way out of the city of Győr and back to the Danube Bikeway on our route to Budapest. This was early morning with nobody around to ask directions. Nobody could speak English here, anyway. The map I had was completely useless. It felt like we were going around in circles and lost. Oh boy… what to do now.

Then we saw another cyclist in front of us, stopped, and looking at us. He looked bad, kind of down and out, like maybe he lived on his bike. I’m not sure if he gestured or nodded, but it seemed like he wanted us to follow him. You hear many stories about this sort of thing, so of course, we were wary. But I said, Let’s follow him for a bit and see what happens, staying on the pathway.

So we did. And after a kilometer or two, and a few turns, he just stopped and pointed. We caught up and stopped to speak to him, but there was nothing to say. He was just mysteriously quiet. We just kept going in the direction he pointed. I looked back a few times and saw that he was still looking at us, but eventually we found the marked bikeway.

At some point that day, we realized that this is probably what he does, helping travelers, and hoping for some payment – a tip. And at the time, we never even thought of that. We insulate ourselves so much that we don’t even see the homeless or the destitute reaching out for help. For what, a few Euros?

His face still haunts me, and there are 2 other similar regrets I have that I’ll mention another time. I’ve opened myself up enough for one day.

This is a photo I made on the streets of Győr, and is one of my all-time favourites.

And here are the next 10 weeks of the #dogwood2018 photography challenge.

[Click on any photo for the slideshow. Please leave comments at the bottom of the page]

“Obsolescence”

Week 31: Wildcard: Photographer’s Choice

“Obsolescence”

“All We Need is Love”

Week 32: Vision: The Alphabet

“All We Need is Love”

I really didn’t want to make a Hollywood style ransom note, so I decided to just make a montage of text that I have with Photoshop composites. Some of these texts are from protests.

Week 33: Composition: figure to Ground

Week 33: Composition: figure to Ground

Figure to Ground is designed to make the subject stand out. Light on dark, dark on light.

My humble attempt at a Robert Mapplethorpe flower

Week 34: Technical: The Wild Side

Week 34: Technical: The Wild Side

I don’t have a telephoto lens and the only wildlife around here are squirrels and sparrows, so I was lucky to get a wild-thang frog! Typical Port Credit wildlife.

Week 35: Creative: Loneliness

Week 35: Creative: Loneliness

This image created quite a stir in my Facebook group, some good and some bad. This is not a photo that you can “like”, but certainly one which can bring about feelings. I wanted to something a little more powerful than an old person sitting on a park bench. I shot this in an abandoned farmhouse at Primrose, ON.

Oh, and the chair. I didn’t have a suitable chair, so I bought this old one at the Salvation Army, then donated it back later.

Week 36: Vision: Ordinary

Week 36: Vision: Ordinary

Find beauty in the ordinary.

Week 37: Composition: Eye Lines

Week 37: Composition: Eye Lines

Eyes draw attention to certain parts of the frame, your subject will direct your audience’s eye.

This was at the Toronto International Film Festival. Everyone was looking at the movie star, but he was looking at me. Maybe he thought I was a paparazzi!

Week 38: Technical: Focus Stacking

Week 38: Technical: Focus Stacking

A technique which combines multiple images taken at different focus distances to give a resulting image with a greater depth of field.

Vintage Toronto postcard – CN tower was built in 1973. And another historical event today… Pot legalized in Canada on October 17, 2018!

Week 39: Creative: Abstract

Week 39: Creative: Abstract

“Please Sir, I want some more?”

Week 40: Vision: Classic Novel

Create an image that identifies a classic novel or story.

“Please Sir, I want some more?” – “Oliver Twist”, by Charles Dickens 1837.