Zoom with your feet when doing street photography

Bob and the Art of Foot-Zooming

Bob, the street photographer with a heart of gold and a camera with zero zoom, had a philosophy: Why bother with expensive zoom lenses when you can use the original zoom—the feet? His trusty camera, an old hand-me-down from the days when film was still considered high-tech, had long lost its ability to zoom. But Bob didn’t mind. He called it “working out while working.”

It was a sunny afternoon, and Bob was on a mission. He spotted his perfect subject: a woman on a park bench, engrossed in a book, with sunlight cascading through the trees behind her. The light was just right, and Bob’s instincts kicked in. But she was a bit far away, so, naturally, it was time for some foot-zooming.

Bob began his slow advance, stepping lightly to avoid being noticed. He was about 15 feet away when suddenly, a man pushing an ice cream cart strolled right into his shot.

“Alright,” Bob mumbled, “a little more foot-zoom.”

He edged closer, weaving around the cart and narrowly avoiding an overly excited child with a balloon. The scene was perfect again: the woman still reading, the light magical. But just as Bob was about to press the shutter, a street mime appeared out of nowhere, silently mimicking him.

“What the—?!” Bob squinted at the mime, who was now pretending to take photos with an invisible camera. The mime’s exaggerated moves made Bob chuckle, but he couldn’t waste time. He foot-zoomed a little closer, but the mime mimicked every step. Now it looked like a weird photography dance-off, and people were starting to watch.

Determined not to lose the shot, Bob broke into a brisk walk, shaking off the mime as he got closer to the woman. He crouched down, camera ready, and lined up the shot. But just as his finger hovered over the button, the unmistakable sound of a bicycle bell rang out.

Bob turned just in time to see a cyclist zooming straight toward him. In a panic, Bob leaped out of the way, tumbled into a nearby hedge, and heard the camera snap wildly. As he untangled himself from the branches, he realised something amazing: in his flailing, the camera had taken the shot anyway.

He peeked at the screen. Miraculously, the photo was…perfect. The woman reading, the dappled sunlight, and even the mime off in the background, caught mid-mime, made for a strangely beautiful composition.

“Guess I still got it,” Bob chuckled, brushing off leaves.

As he limped away, a crowd of bystanders who had been watching his performance erupted into applause. Even the mime gave him a thumbs-up.

And so, Bob, the foot-zooming street photographer, carried on, always ready to run, jump, or dive into a bush for the perfect shot. Rumour has it, he’s training for a marathon—because, as Bob likes to say, “Sometimes the best zoom is just a faster pair of shoes.”