Barbers of the World

I like the simple, centralised, graphic composition the photographer has chosen for this brightly painted free standing barbershop.

The barber with his passive but proud stance invites the viewer into the picture. I am left wanting to know more, to sit in that handmade chair and hear this barber's story.

I would have at commended this image but for 2 reasons. I think by cropping the image to a square would have removed the unwelcome pole on the right and the post production effects have created a visual detraction that seem to me to be unnecessary. However I would love to see the image with a softer, gentler hand used in post production.

I'm trying to think of a more arresting image entered into this challenge... I don't think there is one.

It is beautifully simple, immediate and highly emotive.

This photograph challenges the viewer.

The barber and his client are just in the naturally falling light, perhaps they are in a side street with tall buildings surrounding them, which enables the shadowy background of the building to provide a naturally dark, almost black backdrop to accentuate the barber and his client.

We see the concentration of the barber, his left hand holding the elderly man's head. He is painfully thin with sunken eyes, his mouth frozen with an expression that would have a very different meaning in any other scenario. His skin is leathery and shows decades of hard work.

Images that have power stay with you. This one I will not forget.

This is the Silvercut Barbershop in Bangkok.

I find this shot interesting, not only for the quality of the image itself but also because it demonstrates the globalisation of barbering, although we are in central Bangkok the paraphernalia that adorns the walls suggests we could as easily be in Los Angeles USA.

I like the arresting sight of the barber with his protective face mask mixed with the stillness of his hand and the fixed stare of client . It's a moment of calm in a very busy image.

This gentle, captured moment in time has in parts a particular timelessness about it that appeals greatly. The glimpse, through a glass door, into a world that the photographer cannot inhabit. The visual contradictions are there, the chained scooter, protected from thieves versus the welcoming, safe and warm light of the barbershop. The elderly gentlemen, perhaps friends since their youth or perhaps a customer of many years are doing what they have done many, many times before. On second look you see their reflection, a painting and empty chairs. Perhaps time is being called on the 'Barbiere'.

What a great use of movement to enhance this street barber in action. The blurred bus in the background not only creates a sense of dynamism but also creates a background to allow the barber and his client to be seen very clearly.

The photographer's thinking and patience, waiting for the right moment is greatly rewarded. It also shows a level of ability to hold the camera fairly still at 1/6th of a second. Obviously a tripod would have produced a shaper result but the slight softness does not detract.

The wall clock says it's 10.05pm, the external bare light bulb is illuminated saying he's open for business. The highly decorated colourfully painted door panels declare what is on offer – henna tattoos, massage and shaving. Baba the barber is a talented man.

I like how my eyes are drawn to the bright interior, it's a cold light compared to the warm glow of the exterior but the contrast works.

Although the ISO is at 1000 to achieve a shutter speed of 125th the Nikon D800 handles this admirably well.

Other than 'getting ready for the weekend' there was no information supplied by the photographer. But thankfully a Yomil y El Dany poster is in the background, therefore I will assume it's Cuba.

It's beautifully shot using natural light and light from strip lights around the mirror to illuminate the barber and his client.

I get a real sense that the photographer chose the title very carefully. Perhaps he's waiting too? Perhaps these are his friends and this is a weekly ritual. Regardless... we see a barbershop that is at the polar opposite of many we see today. This is real and gritty, raw concrete, no chairs for waiting, barred windows and doors.

The composition works really well, your eyes are drawn to the barber and then to the eyes and expression of his client... I feel like I'm there.

This image does what good photographs are meant to do... it makes you look, decode, understand, imagine.

The elegant and distinguished barber is plying his trade on a busy street, he uses the fence to hang and dry his towels as he shaves his clients. Wiping the cut throat razor in a gently cupped hand, the sharp glistening blade is in stark contrast to the serenity of the customer. He seems at peace, perhaps asleep.

But we also see the top of a pair of crutches, do they belong to him? Is his mobility impaired. I want to know more.

Black and white is a fantastic choice, it helps makes this strong image even stronger.

What a dynamic composition.

Using the barber's mirror to create an almost window like view of the world, the photographer has managed to create an intriguing image. The framing really works. Choosing to include the refection of the trees, rather than the legs and ground really help establish that this is very much a barber plying his trade on the street. Seeing beyond the mirror we get a glimpse of the harsh reality of working in a backstreet, surrounded by the detritus of life.

I have found myself returning to this incredible photograph time and time again. I want to stand in the photographer's shoes. Whilst not an 'official' barber, the father has become his son's barber through necessity. This is a family living and working in the harsh environment of the Himalayan foothills and the rich detail captured by the photographer has given us a window into their lives. The fact that the boy is naked is startling, his parents and grandmother have three or more layers of clothing which means the temperature is low. The wide angle with almost full depth of field gives a cinematic feel. The biggest personal accolade I can give this wonderful image is... 'I wish I had taken it'. Congratulations.

What a great example of 'Street Photography'. This image has so much going on. The more you look, the more you see.

Is scale playing with our eyes? is the woman real or a part of an unseen Bollywood poster? The barber's chair, now held together by tape after years of use, the bottles, tubes and jars of tinctures and shaving creams on the external window sill above their heads, the folded and stored tarpaulin, perhaps awaiting the monsoon rain of the afternoon, how string holds the mirror and the towels, the partial refection of the customer.

The photographer, choosing or perhaps forced to choose a slow shutter speed because of the low ISO has created the blur of the barber's hand, just enough to give that sense of movement as he wipes away the residue of the shave.

This vibrant and colourful image is captured like a glance through an open door – walking past your eyes and ears are attracted by the sound of lively chatter and the hum of the cooling fans.

The barber and his young client have been beautifully framed by the red, out of focal range doors. They are almost like curtains at a theatre that have been pulled back to reveal the actors in a barbershop. I love the contrast between red and the many blues of the scissors, chair, shorts, t-shirt, brush and fan. Great shot.

This captured moment in time from the backstreets of Delhi has a structure that I like, it draws you in and moves your eye into and along the picture.

The dynamic perspective which has been enhanced by the architecture of the wall gives the image a real depth before disappearing into the shadows. I love the little stories that are being played out by all the individuals, the barbers rubbing shoulders with one another whilst trampling on the evidence of a busy day.

The only thing missing for me is that one person engaging with the photographer, eyes looking directly into the camera. But still a lovely shot.

I have enjoyed reviewing many of the photographs entered into the 'Barbers of the World' challenge. Not only for looking and studying the images but also being able to take a brief glimpse into the lives of many of the people featured.

This photograph did not make it in terms of receiving an award, it was up against some very good images, but it does what photographs should aspire to do... take the viewer on a journey.

Here we meet the people of Inle Lake in Myanmar (Burma). Most are devout Buddhists, and live in simple houses of wood and woven bamboo on stilts. A car battery provides the power for the barber of the lake.