City Bus Driver

These days, most of my journeys involve a bus, a timetable and a destination. Back then, a journey could mean a motorcycle, a camera and absolutely no idea who I might end up talking to. Sometimes, the best part of going somewhere isn't what you find through the viewfinder, but who happens to wander into the frame. What I had my eye on that day... Two pieces of industrial infrastructure, seen from a slightly different angle at the Port of Leith. Photograph © John Gilchrist. There are some days when you head out with no particular plan other than to get out. Back then, it was often the bike and the camera. No great agenda, no deadline, no particular photograph that had to be taken. Just a day out, a bit of fresh air, somewhere with a decent view, and enough time to stand around and see what happened. And sometimes, what happens has very little to do with the photograph. You can spend a surprising amount of time simply minding your own business, watching the world go by, when someon...

 A day off from driving today, although apparently that doesn't mean I can completely escape the city. I went looking for the perfect photograph. The pigeons had other ideas, but the coffee and conversation weren't a bad substitute. Photograph © John Gilchrist I was heading into town to catch up with family, with the added bonus of a lovely lunch at one of the city's better viewing points. It's always interesting seeing the place from above rather than from behind a steering wheel, where the view tends to involve considerably more traffic, bus stops and people stepping out in front of you. After lunch, I thought I'd take the camera out for a wander and see what turned up. The Knife Angel has been a feature of the city for a while now. I believe the plan was for it to stay for around a month, and having driven past it more times than I care to remember, I had a feeling its stay must be coming towards an end. So, with a bit of time to spare, I decided it was probably...