The Wall and the Watcher
Out walking with Bowie this morning, I came across a crow perched in front of a wall that was enough to stop me on its own.
It’s the façade of an SRO building near the corner of Abbott and Water Street, beside the site of the building that burned down a few years ago. The surface is covered in peeling paint, dark streaks, and patches where one layer has given way to another. There’s hardly a quiet spot on it. Then there’s the crow, sitting in front of all that texture, looking off to the side.
I loved the two together.
The wall takes up much of the photograph, but the crow gives my eye somewhere to settle. Its dark shape stands out against the broken surface, with just enough light catching its feathers, eye, and beak to hold my attention. I keep following its gaze out of the frame, then returning to the marks above it.
I wanted the framing to connect those marks with the bird. Some of the decayed paint runs vertically down the façade, and I positioned the crow so those lines would fall roughly in line with it. That relationship mattered to me. The wall had a strong composition of its own; I wanted the crow to feel like part of it.
The horizontal edge beneath its feet helps pull everything together. Above it is this restless field of peeling paint and streaks. Below it, the smoother surface gives the photograph a little breathing room. The crow sits right at that meeting point.
In the end, black and white felt best. It brought the photograph closer to what had caught my attention in the first place: the texture of the façade, the vertical lines, and the bird’s shape. The pale flecks of remaining paint and the darker stains became more noticeable, while the small highlights on the crow kept it from disappearing into the wall.
What I enjoy most is how unconcerned the crow looks. I’m occupied with the paint, the framing, and how all these pieces fit together. It’s looking at something else entirely. That little bit of distance is part of the appeal. There’s a whole street beyond the photograph, and the crow seems much more interested in that.
A walk with Bowie, a weathered wall, and a bird that happened to be sitting in the right place. Sometimes that’s plenty to bring home.
