The Malostranská Prague Metro, 2002
I had come to Prague to work on the often photographed, Charles Bridge. I had decided to photograph during the pre-dawn hours. My misadventures and the cold were constant. At one point standing on the bridge the temperature dropped below -20ºF; I was freezing. The shutter on my 6X7 Pentax refused to open (or close) and the film advance lever snapped off in my hand. The camera had given up…
When the shutter went on strike and the lever snapped, so did I. I packed up and headed back to my room. Even wearing gloves, I had to use 2 lens cloths to hold the tripod…it was cold! I walked shivering through dark streets, the only light coming from the beautiful Prague streetlamps. I found the Metro entrance and stairway; inside the tunnels it was a bit warmer. I was alone on the Malostranská Station platform, cold, disappointed and waiting for a train.
I could not help but notice the reflections coming from the unusual station roof. Feeling warmer and inspiration returning…I decided to make some exposures at 1, 2 and 4 seconds to blur the arriving train. The shutter had warmed sufficiently, and I was able to advance the film with the remaining film advance “stump”. I made exposures as 5 different trains pulled in moving aside as soon as the doors opened.
I believe this image represents for me a strong visualization (As Ansel Adams so beautifully describes in his books). I had a clear concept at exposure, which guided development and printing. The resulting print was what I was “seeing” when I placed the tripod on the platform.
On Mother’s Day 2004, I decided to make a “corresponding” image on the 34th Street, Pennsylvania Station subway platform in NYC. I ended up arrested, placed in handcuffs and sitting in the back of squad car, headed to the Canal St. holding cell. I was detained and given a summons, guilty of photographing without a permit. I sat in a holding cell for 90 minutes and was “checked out”. Fortunately, I was wearing a New York Yankees sweatshirt and qualified for improved treatment. On the way to the station, I passed the home of dear friends and saw them returning from a trip to England. I was unable to wave.
