Black & White Street Photography

I love the way this image has managed to be so striking because of the way the subjects are arranged within the frame. Using a longer lens to compress the figures, they have also both tilted slightly the angle as well as having one of the subjects dominating the foreground, but out of focus. All these elements bring extra tension and dynamism; and to complete the split second drama of this moment, we have the intimidating looking bodyguards all looking in different directions as they walk down the street. Taken in black and white, this image looks like a still from a high-end film-noir Hollywood thriller. Great stuff!

What a strange and interestingly lit photograph!. Enigmatic because you don't know where the light is coming from and what the subjects are doing; but because it is also so well composed and so wierdly lit, you can't take your eyes off it. Shafts of light hit the subjects foreground, and middle ground, but render the background one as a silhouette. All three figures that are walking in and out of the shafts of light are in a big pool of total darkness. And suspended within the shafts of light disappearing into the distance is a lone little cloud hanging over the middle subject. Where did it come from?. A strange dream-like image indeed!. And very original.

This is another iconic urban shot, showing us office life in the big metropolis. The composition is excellent, and i love the sharp lines and angles combined with the mood the image has because of the way the light hits the side of the building in the background and the way it renders the the building and office worker (perfectly positioned) as silhouettes in the foreground; both compressed by the use of a long lens. A clean, striking and iconic urban shot. Well done!.

This is an example of brilliantly capturing a scene in an abstract way, by introducing reflections into the frame and blending them in with figures, detail, light and shade and graphic lines and shapes: even capturing a bit of cloud in a bright sky. A wonderfully imaginative and sophisticated, abstract image!. Held well together by waiting to capture a silhouetted figure fill the brightly lit space in the left portion of the frame. Well done!

What a captivating image!. It really holds your attention. A lot of great photographs rely only on the visual elements - lighting and composition; but this one also brings in a strong narrative element that makes it special. There's a lot of tension and jeopardy in this as we see a confrontation between the two central subjects in the middle of the frame. What also really brings this to the fore is the lighting that lends such a strong mood to this picture. And, as with all black and white photography, it tends to make you concentrate on the very essential ingredients; which in this case is the decisive moment captured here, accentuated by the selective lighting. The silhouetted figure rim lit as he points the finger, giving him just enough anonimity so as we can concentrate on the the central character in this little story; made so charismatic by the reflected light on his face - eyes transfixed on his adversary. All the while, the light falling on various areas around the frame gives us hints of their surroundings and background subjects to give us more context. This is a sophisticated photograph executed very well, with a photographer who clearly knows how to work journalistically, with stealth - going in close enough to make us be in the heart of the action, but at the same time not wanting to influence or manipulate what's happening; which also what street photography is all about. A very striking photograph that's is an absolute winner. Well done!

As with lots of street photography, it's about looking for offbeat, humorous moments. With vaping you can get nice big thick clouds of smoke/vapour eminating from a person, and in this case the photographer has caught a moment where the subject has exhaled to produce enough vapour to completely cover his head to make it look like he is on fire. Quirky enough, but they have made sure to include the sign "fire assembly point" right next to him, which gives this image real humour. A great serendipitous capture!.

This is a good example of combining light and composition to make a really interesting photograph. I really like the lines across the frame with the people dotted along the lines in almost equidistant positions. The light is catching the wall and people in an interesting way. Each subject is independent of each other; and the central subject gazing into the sun captures your attention. An unusual and interestingly composed street photo.

Wow, what an original photograph!, and so interestingly lit - light hitting different areas of the frame in so many different ways as to make this scene look like a montage of completely separate ones all stitched together. It has a very abstract feel. And for the photographer to know that by waiting for a figure or figures to come into that lit space in order to complete it, tells me that this is a very talented photographer who knows about timing, light and composition - all the essential ingredients needed to produce an image of this quality. It was well worth waiting until the small hours to capture this. Congratulations!

This is a classic black and white street photo, making full use of the monotone; full of interesting and striking lines, shapes and textures. It's such a strong graphic image. And very ordered in it's geometry. making sure the line along which the subject is walking bisects the picture - The top half is seen reflected on the bottom half. There are also various shades of grey and white, with the only stand-out, jet-black the silhouetted figure that the photographer has captured, at the precise moment she walks into the very centre of the frame. Her legs seemingly to mirror the "v" shapes of the white concrete columns. A perfectly structured and graphic image!

As the photographer has said, A lot of street photography is about juxtaposition and placing the viewpoint of the camera in such a way as to play around with visual tricks that it can introduce; where in this instance, the photographer has seen the way the baking powder thrown in the air in the poster can transform into clouds when they wait for the real world to combine with the staged one. A very clever image. Congratulations on a very witty take on the world!

This is a great photograph principally for it's lighting, but also it's very well composed and also has dynamism to it as we can see two people seekingly running away from or towards the camera through a cloud of fog/mist. All very atmospheric. Wether staged or captured candidly, it's a wonderfully evocative shot.

This is a really eye-catching street photography where the photographer has chosen a different viewpoint on which to show us some street-life. Shot from above it is more graphic and easier on the eye; sticking to just a subject splayed out on a grey canvas that is the grey concrete pavement, road curb-side running along the bottom and a lone Parking meter next to him, with it's accompanying shadow. A striking candid photograph done with real imagination. Well done.

This is a classic and iconic take on capturing working lives in urban spaces. A montage of busy figures dotted all over the space in the frame; some as silhouettes, some as ghost-like figures some with faces and expressions clearly seen. And i love the way these figures sometimes merge into each other as they dart about the frame. The flat perspective from using a long lens adds to the image's visual power. This image also lends itself very much to being monochrome - the black silhouettes, mingling with the grey ghost-like figures; all against a plain white canvas. The clocks at various points within the image also give more context as we see how modern working lives are so governed by time; deadlines that have to be met. A great image!.

I love this image because it's photographing "outside the box"; the box being the grey one left in the snow. The photographer has chosen to allude to, rather than capture the obvious. Here we see the space vacated by a car that has a few moments ago exited the frame at the top end shown by tyre tracks in the snow leading away from the "box". Leading up to the grey box from the bottom left of the frame are two sets of footprints. This abstract image doesn't show people but instead tells us a little story about them. I love also how well this image suits only two colours - black, signifying human activity, on top of the still, snowy white canvas. A very clever photograph that's completely original.

Here's an image that has become art worthy of a gallery wall. Not your average street photograph, but none-the-less showing human activity in a public space. It's so visual because the light is throwing up all these textures on the surface of the water looking from above at a swimmer enveloped by such energy around him/her. Also an image that suits being monotone so we can concentrate on the abstract nature of this wonderfully artful image. A great shot!