I was on the London underground, obviously with my camera, when an elderly gentleman asked me about it. He proceeded to ask what I like shooting and how long I’ve been doing it.

Small talk.

I didn’t expect much, but the London underground is a hell of a place. You see all types of people, football players, junkies, cops, “influencers” and sometimes unsuspecting old men who with no intention of dropping the most influencing and life-changing advice. Not in a way that changes how you think and affects you from that moment onward. Rather, it is something you forget right after he tells it to you. You’d think he’s just another old man, and you’re right to think that.

Well, Of course, you’ve met dozens of them.

He proceeds to say, “When you can’t frame the shot you want. Go closer. Don’t zoom in. It’ll take time but it’ll be better.”

Took me a few months to understand what he meant. I soon realised that it was never about photographs.

It’s a shame, he will never know how much he means to me. I can’t even remember his face.