Blur: the train now leaving

Martin Place Station, Sydney, 9:14pm

After my evening at Opera on the Harbour last Tuesday, I found myself with 10 minutes to kill before my train arrived. What to do, what to do? I had my camera because I had taken photos at the opera, so I pulled it out and looked around. Hmm, limited possibilities: water fountain, ads, walls, fire extinguisher, benches … benches! Lovely metal benches, perfect for HeyJude’s bench challenge. I could hear a train coming, and thought it would make an interesting backdrop to a shot focused on the bench. But that photo was no good (too cluttered and too many people), and the train was slowing down so it dominated the shot.

Ah, but when the train left, it was perfect. You can make out the station name of Martin Place reflected in the blur of the train at high speed. The woman appeared just as I pressed the shutter button and my first thought was that she had ruined the shot, but she actually added a wonderful human element and a splash of colour. So I ended up with two examples of blur, one intentional and one not. (If you can’t make out the train, have a look at this photo (not mine) which shows one at rest, and you’ll understand the dark shiny look, faint stripes along the top and the pronounced horizontal line.)

I was saving this photo to use in September, when HeyJude’s theme will be metal benches, but it fit this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge too well not to use.