Meaningless

Sometimes it’s easier to tell what a photograph is not than to explain what it is. This frame, taken outside a small tabaccheria, is a case in point. It’s not sharp — the slight blur suggests either a slow shutter speed with handheld movement or an unintentional misfocus. It’s not correctly exposed either — the bright areas, particularly the pavement and parts of the foliage, are overexposed, washing out detail and flattening the scene.

Compositionally, it struggles to find an anchor. The woman in the doorway and the man at the vending machine might form the core of a story, but the foreground foliage, tilted horizon, and lack of depth management dilute their presence. The image feels caught between street photography and casual snapshot, without committing to either.

And yet, as flawed as it is, it serves a purpose. It’s a reminder that not every frame will — or should — be worth keeping, and that recognising the gap between intention and result is essential to improving one’s craft. In this sense, the image works as a quiet, humbling checkpoint: a personal note to look harder, frame cleaner, and think twice before pressing the shutter.