Every time I go to an art gallery, there’s a chance that a few of the photos I take are photobombed by someone trying to take the same picture or someone walking by. It’s usually no big deal since the art is unchanging and I can easily try to take the picture again. However, I kept the photobombed ones even though they were a ‘mistake’. I have a love for candid photos. Specifically, the “photo within a photo” accident is something I now do on purpose when I’m taking candid pictures of my friends too. I think it invites the viewer to think about what aspect is truly the focal point. Is it the physical art piece? Is it the additional person taking the same picture? Or it is a third less obvious thing? 

Despite taking less effort, planning, or focus than other art forms, candid photography captures the unexpected. In the case of my gallery photos, it takes an established subject matter and transforms it into something spontaneous. In addition to this, sometimes in a candid photo, there’s an element of movement captured. A level of blur is something I surprisingly like since even though the image isn’t entirely clear, the movement and energy are evident. It always reminds me of Futurism and Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash.

While my photos from galleries help me remember what the art looked like, photos like this help me remember an exact moment that my unique eyes have seen. Realistically I can turn to Google for a better-framed photo of an art piece but the inclusion of people nearby reminds me of the people I saw during that specific day. I think it’s rare that I get annoyed that someone else is in front of my camera instead of what I intended. We’re all there for the same viewing experience so it’s not their fault. In galleries, I take photos from my phone so a retake is seamless. In the cities, I use film cameras and those photos are harder to replicate the same thing. But maybe it is the fact that some moments can’t be replicated that makes them so special.