Nikon D5300
35mm | F/1.8 | 1/160 sec | ISO 400

When you live in New York City, you get used to a lot of things - the handing out of mixtapes, street performances, and a lot more. Being so inundated by these events, we often ignore them. I’m certainly not an exception to this - a lot of street performance can be said to be mediocre at best, an attempt by the performers to eke out a living or perhaps a little extra money on the side. But there are times that I feel compelled - almost obligated - to stop and watch. This was one of those times.

Having some time off, I decided to go to Central Park to take some pictures. It has certainly been a while since I’ve become so busy with work and school. Walking around, I neared the Bethesda fountain and heard singing and good one at that. I walked over and I watched for a good while before it struck me that I should capture this scene. It wasn’t very easy to capture the essence of what I heard in a visual medium and I honestly do not think I did the performers justice with this photograph. Nevertheless, it was my best attempt to do so and I really like how the lighting turned out. I could have done a better job with the straightening and cropping but overall it turned out to be quite a decent picture, due to my subject matter.

After having watched them and photographed them, I walked over to donate some money. After all, they had provided me with something of value and I felt obligated to respond in kind. I was reluctant to walk away, but I was there to take pictures and I was growing a bit restless just standing there. So I did end up leaving, but that isn’t to imply anything about their performance. It was phenomenal, and I am very glad I got to see them and capture a sliver of the moment in this picture.