The Alley

The old town of Cannes, the alley in front of a crêperie. I stayed in one place and kept the camera rolling.

Afternoon light falls across the alley. People walk out of the shadow, pass through that light, and disappear into shadow again. Like actors stepping from the wings onto a stage.

They stand in the spotlight for only a few seconds. A woman carrying shopping bags leans in to greet a friend coming the other way, cheek to cheek. A word or two. A laugh, and each exits toward her own wing. Then the next person steps into the light.

No one has a script. No one has chosen the lead. And yet, the moment they enter the light, each person is shown as the lead of their own story.

I stay in one place and catch a glimpse, just a little, of each person’s life story. The light holds them for only seconds, but their story goes on, long after they leave the frame.

Each one irreplaceable. Each one with a deep story I will never know. This alley is a stage that reminds me of that.