Phil Douglis' Lessons in Street Photography

I shot this scene from the top of Lisbon’s famous, if somewhat battered, Elevador de Santa Justa. The iron elevator was built about 100 years ago by one of A.G. Eiffel’s apprentices. From my perch high over Lisbon, I used a telephoto converter lens to focus on a decorative motif set squarely into the middle of an intersection a few blocks away. I shot picture after picture of people walking through that intersection. Finally, I was able to get the proper spacing and interaction that would tell a story. In this cropped shot, I isolate eight people walking either to or from that decorative square in the middle of the intersection. I frame the scene between two signs and three vintage streetlights. Seven of these people seem to know exactly where they going. One, however, does not. He incongruously stands on the decorative pavement with his hands to his hips, wondering which way to turn. Needless to say, I could see him but he could not see me. I felt sorry for this guy and can empathize with him — it’s easy to get lost in time in the 200 year old streets of Lisbon – they can often start and stop without notice, disappear into plazas, and climb around hills, all of which makes it one of the most intriguing walking cities in the world.