The second part of my vacation has begun - I am again free from office duties for another two weeks. To celebrate, I scheduled a joint photo walk with 
One way or another, we again have hot and even stuffy weather: + 28C. So in the evening I broke down, kicked myself away from the computer and organized a small bike ride around the block (I went to the nearest store, bought myself a pack of cookies and yogurt - but it was just an excuse to leave the house and take a walk). I took my camera with me... and it gave me opportunity to take some nice street scenes.
The first was this boy, who cheerfully stomped after his parents, armed with two (!) guns at once. I am not a mega-experienced gamer, but it seemed to me that he had a Soviet AK-74 machinegun in his backpack, and an American M-16 assault rifle in his hands. But of course I could be wrong...
I stopped my bike, unholstered the camera and stalked after them for five minutes, doing one take after another. I borrowed with me the 50mm lens (which is not a telephoto at all), so I had to get as closer as possible for doing my nasty paparazzi job; the camera shutter clicked loudly, but fortunately nobody looked back - otherwise they would have observed a very strange picture: me chasing them with a camera and bicycle xD
Yeah, eye contact always add a lot to the capture, but sometimes the pic is good even without it.
Another shot with the lack of faces and eye-contact, Company of Art Object Girls - you can't see the faces, but you can appreciate their fancy dress and hairstyles :) probably those youngsters are some anime fans?
My next find was some street posters. I could not pass and not take a picture of these garages, plastered with posters - a clear sign of the time! For those who do not speak Russian, I translate funny headlines: "Traveling abroad is still prohibited, but the Space is available instead" (i.e. it is an ad for planetarium); then, a simple poster with a cherry image (without any cake attached) and the inscription "Everyone is mining Durcoin" (like, ditch everything at once and run ... get yourself a real deal, Mario!) There exist no "durcoins", I guess (the direct translation will be like this: "fool-coin"), as I understand it - it's just a mockery, a mockery at all kinds of "coins" and the craze that has gripped the illiterate masses, craving for easy enrichment. Carry your money and bury/dig at the Fool's Field...
THis was a little highlight of my outing. Within 15 minutes I parked my bike in front of a store with a huge flower bed of blooming white and pink roses nearby, bought myself a bag of cookies and a jar of strawberry yogurt (meow!), and some pancakes with liver as well (I love to fry them for my morning coffee), and headed back home...
...but did not go straight, took a long crooked way through the local park...
I was in the park at the very moment when retro music was playing there, and people were dancing Argentine tango! I confess I don't see this every day.
My 50mm lens couldn't cover the entire width of the painting (so I took several separate shots and combined them in photoshop :)
In the center of the park there is a small lake (pond), which city habitants love to meditate at, both from the shore, bridges and boats. My usual bike route is around the lake (this is a small and shortest option), or around the full park perimeter (which is a longer route - but less interesting from a photographic point of view).
I could not resist the temptation and added a pinch of cross-processing to these photos.
How do you like the colors?..
| location: | St.Petersburg, Russia | August 2022 | natural light |
| camera/lens: | Canon 5D | Sigma 50mm | raw-conv |
Perhaps it is the time to round up my story, soon after that I returned home and fried some pancakes :D and nothing else attracted my camera. Thanks for walking with me. Next time!
@qwerrie