10 Hidden Stories
What makes a good picture? Being nosy and prompting curiosity?
I was holiday recently in Trapani, Sicily (can recommend it, but those notes are for another post) – when my son, 20, asked ‘So what make a good picture for you?’. Of course having done this substack for a couple of years now I’ve thought about that question a lot, but the images I like the most – and to be honest find the hardest to create – are the ones which present a scene that looks like it’s in the middle of a little story we can never really know.
In the photo above, a wedding group spilled out of the church1 after the ceremony and started their party straight away, complete with a bubble machine, a small energetic band and a rapidly growing crowd of onlookers. I couldn’t capture the energy, noise and heat in mid afternoon, but I could capture the immediate group and vibe of the scene. Definitely a story or two there. (I was hoping the little flower girl would do something fun but she was too deep in the crowd and too focused on blowing bubbles…).
One of the things that’s most enjoyable about a holiday for me is the chance to pause a bit longer – you’re not rushing to the next appointment, meeting or task – and do some people watching, sit somewhere with a coffee/beer and wait until something interesting comes into view (or sits down next to you).
These two scenes above are just simple glimpses of people’s lives – the old men chatting over a morning espresso, the waiters and shopkeepers waiting for trade to pick up. I don’t speak much italian, so I can only speculate what they were talking about.
The other thing I like to do on holiday is be nosy. Particularly in Trapani, where every third doorway in the old town seemed to have a hidden courtyard, and every courtyard hinted at a storied history from centuries before. I do like poking my head into doorways and taking detours down alleyways that might provide unexpected views.
Doorways themselves often have a story to tell about their occupants or residents - creative or practical, religious or historic. Modern and carefully created, or quickly scrawled over an old garage pull down. Particularly intrigued about the religious frames in the first picture above. It’s not my culture so I don’t judge, but is it just a sign of faith for the occupants or something more? Maybe you know?
The wonderful thing about an old city like Trapani is the street vistas that await around every corner, and the lived quality that remind you that this is not just a tourist destination, but a home for thousands now, and over many centuries. It’s very much a community city – not like many of the UNESCO snowglobe cities you can visit and wondered when the real people left and the tour guides and souvenir vendors moved in.
Until next time.
Keep curious
James
Cattedrale di San Lorenzo - https://maps.app.goo.gl/6ZZ11Lpz5pYMPthK8
Love the “moments” you captured in the first few shots. And the interesting doorways and narrow streets in those following.