The Traffic Controller

The man in the reflective uniform wasn’t posing, wasn’t waiting. He was simply doing his job — coordinating chaos with the quiet authority only experience provides. The scene unfolded quickly: the fire brigade’s crane on standby, the red and blue lights diffused by daylight, the line of hesitant cars waiting for a signal that only one person could give. I didn’t have much time to frame this; sometimes a good photograph is more a matter of presence than planning.

I shot slightly underexposed to preserve the detail in the brighter areas of the sky and keep the colour temperature cool and flat, emphasising the mundane over the dramatic. Compositionally, the leading lines formed by the bridge and the road pull the viewer directly toward the officer — a visual funnel that grounds the image and creates an unspoken hierarchy. The fact that his back is turned heightens the detachment: this isn’t about his face, it’s about the role.

The balance of elements — bridges stacked overhead, fencing, the boats underneath, and the slight curve of the road — gives the frame a layered depth. Even the subtle reflection off the wet tarmac works in favour of the image, breaking up the flatness of the lower third.

It’s a shot that only works because it’s not trying too hard. No heroism, no crisis — just another working day, briefly made visible.