Tunnel Talk was captured in Ghent, Belgium, in a local park as we were making our way to a nature museum. As always, I had my Nikon Z8 with a 24??“70mm lens slung over my shoulder.
We had just walked through this tunnel when I decided to turn around to see if anyone interesting might be coming through. A bicyclist suddenly appeared, giving me only a split second to capture the shot. What immediately caught my attention was that he was riding while holding his phone in his right hand up to his left ear.
I was shooting at 24mm and was positioned some distance from the tunnel, so I later cropped the image to tighten the composition and make the bicyclist the clear focal point. Without the crop, the frame included two side-by-side tunnels along with a significant amount of brush growing around the sides and over the top, which distracted from the moment I wanted to highlight.
6 comments posted
Charles Bartolotta
Very good use of framing, Sharlana. The composition is good and the exposure in both the foreground and background is right on. Personally, I think the image would be more appealing had the rider not been using a phone, but I've found that just about everyone in public seems to be on a phone. A sign of the times, I guess. Still a very nice shot. Posted: 08/08/2026 15:17:30
Sharlana Dillard
Thanks for your comments Posted: 08/11/2026 16:36:41
Michael Braunstein
I love the cell phone as a documentary. Great photo
Posted: 08/08/2026 16:34:19
Sharlana Dillard
Haha yes cells phones are the way of the world Posted: 08/11/2026 16:37:25
Tom Buckard
Sharlana, like Michael said, this is great documentary about cell phone usage. Love them or hate them we can't do without them!!! I too love your framing and the lighting accentuates the story. Great color, sharpness and definition. Posted: 08/11/2026 16:15:26
Sharlana Dillard
Thanks for your comments Posted: 08/11/2026 16:37:43
