LILLE

Rain fell steadily across Lille, France, a cold grey presence that soaked the winter streets and pressed low against the sky. I stood with my back to a shop window, steadying both myself and the camera, letting the city pass through the frame. Faces, umbrellas, and hurried footsteps drifted by, blurred and momentary. Amid the movement, a tree stood firm and unmoving, a quiet anchor as everything else slipped past. Time gathered around it. I waited, watching, until a brief interaction aligned and the rhythm of the day revealed itself.