Yesterday (I wrote this text on the 13th of August, 2025), while rucking and doing street photography in the city center (Srodmiescie district), Ochota and Mokotów district, I thought I dived into the dust, crowd, chaos, noise, and heat.
Indeed, when I was walking through the streets of the capital of Poland, the hustle and bustle of the big city hit me hard. First of all, I felt dust not only in my nostrils, but also in my whole face and hair. Also, I frequently saw the dust floating in the air. The weather was windy, but it was dry and hot (over 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). There were many (too many, for me?) people walking around. Sometimes I felt they were just coming straight into my lens (sometimes I captured photos with humans, but, in general, I wait when they leave my frame in the camera). The noise from cars and their horns was unimaginable. I could barely hear my own thoughts.
I felt I was in total chaos, where the only law that remained was the law of the concrete jungle.
Does it mean I was scared and wanted to run away as fast as I could to seek peace, quiet, and solitude in my house? Does it mean I didn’t enjoy walking, rucking, and picturing everything that captured my eyesight? On the contrary, I felt tremendously happy as I dived into the dust, crowd, chaos, noise, and heat, and I was simply enjoying the fact that I lived. Of course, the idea to write this post came to my mind while I was on the street. I stood in the scorching sun, hearing only street noise, smelling my own sweat, and wrote the title of this post. I love street photography, and I cannot wait for the subsequent immersion in the hustle and bustle of the big city, eagerly anticipating the new experiences and sights that await me.
