Public Toilet, Pont Louis Philippe, Paris, FranceWinner of a Bronze Medal in the Street fashion category of the Paris International Street Photography Awards 2022. It was the evening of June twenty-second, twenty twenty-two, in Paris. The city was alive with its usual charm as I strolled across the iconic Pont Neuf bridge with my partner, en route to the Eiffel Tower. The golden light of the setting sun bathed the Seine in a soft glow, creating an almost cinematic backdrop for an ordinary summer evening. But then, something caught my eye—something extraordinary.

Far below the bridge, near the entrance to a public toilet, a curious tableau unfolded. From a distance, my attention was drawn to one figure in particular—a man with a newspaper tucked under his arm, his hat tilted just so. His posture, his attire, the very air around him—it all seemed out of place, as though he’d stepped out of another era. As I looked closer, I realized he wasn’t alone.

There were others: a man emerging from the toilet, hurriedly zipping up his fly; another leaning casually against the wall near the entrance, his suede jacket catching the light; a third, standing with an old pushbike, observing the scene with a quiet intensity. Above them, on the staircase, a final figure lounged against the railing, watching everything with what I can only describe as calculated nonchalance.

In that moment, instinct took over. I turned to my partner, who had also noticed the scene, and without a word, I bolted. Racing down the bridge, camera in hand, I knew I couldn’t let this pass me by. Seven frames—that’s all I managed before the spell broke and the characters began to disperse. Seven frames to capture a mystery I’m still trying to unravel.

The more my partner and I observed, the stranger it all seemed. Were we witnessing a film set? The vintage clothing, the old bicycle, the deliberate postures—it all felt staged, too perfect to be real. Yet there was no sign of a crew, no cameras, no directors calling the shots. This wasn’t scripted; it was life, raw and unfiltered, playing out in a way that felt almost impossible.

So, what was happening? We speculated endlessly. Was it a drug deal? Male prostitution? Or perhaps it was nothing more than a series of innocent coincidences? Each character seemed to play a role. The man at the toilet entrance appeared to be keeping watch. The cyclist, dressed similarly, seemed to share the same duty. The man with the hat and newspaper watched the one zipping up his fly with a peculiar curiosity, while the figure above on the stairs had a vantage point over it all. It was a scene heavy with ambiguity, and the unanswered questions only made it more compelling.

And then there’s the detail that makes this image even more intriguing. In the upper right corner, almost easy to miss, is the only modern element in the frame: a sprite of street art subtly breaking the spell of timelessness. Without it, this scene could easily transport you back to the early twentieth century. That tiny splash of modernity is a reminder that, as surreal as this moment felt, it was still very much rooted in the present.

Looking back, I realize this is what I love most about photography: its ability to freeze a fleeting moment, to capture the unscripted and the inexplicable. This image is a slice of Parisian life, but also something more—a story without a beginning or an end, inviting the viewer to step in and fill the gaps with their own imagination.

So, what do you see in this photograph? Is it an innocent scene, an unfolding drama, or something else entirely? Let me know in the comments below. The mystery continues, and perhaps together, we can unravel it.