A few years ago, we spent several days in Venice, Italy, at the start of a three-week trip. We took a water taxi to Murano Island for a day trip. I expected to photograph canals and buildings, but my aim was also to watch daily life and make images of how people move through these places.
As I walked along a canal, I noticed a girl on the opposite bank, facing a wall covered in posted notices. The water separated us, and I wasn’t sure whether she would move before I could frame the scene. I had to work from where I stood: if she turned or walked away, there might not be another chance.
She stayed still, reading. The canal, the building façade and her position came together naturally, and I captured the moment as it unfolded: a quiet pause beside the water in Murano. Looking at the photograph later, I was drawn to its unplanned, everyday quality. The moment depended on slowing down and paying attention.