Triggered: Ilya Nikolayev

©Ilya Nikolayev

Image and Text by Ilya Nikolayev

I take many of my pictures in midtown Manhattan. This image was shot on 5th Avenue, between 47th and 48th Street. The man was easy to notice and I saw him from half a block away. He resembled “Inspector Gadget” and was very slowly making his way down the street. 

I had plenty of time to get ready for the shot. The question became: do I walk towards him or wait for him to get to me? I noticed that midway between my position and his, the block turned from shade to sunlight. I decided that I would wait for him to walk into the sunlight and would aim to take the picture at that spot. 

I slowly walked towards him, he finally made it into the sun and I lifted the camera to take the picture. As soon as he saw the camera, he raised his hand. Perhaps he didn’t want me to take the photo but my finger was already on the shutter. My reaction was automatic - I pressed the shutter and took the picture. It was done and I knew immediately thereafter that the various elements had come together to form something special.  

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