This image perfectly sums up those feeling of loss and helplessness we all encountered living with Covid. The positioning of the individual to the left, placed in a corner really does speak of that feeling of loneliness. The bright light which could be a metaphor for something other worldly works within the frame. The exposure is well controlled in difficult lighting conditions and this really is a image that works to brief. Well done.
This could almost be a biblical scene. It reminds me of the stunning images by Steve McCurry. The muted colors across the entire frame work so well with the hazy sun coming through the clouds and dust. The camera positioning is excellent allowing us to focus on the individual as they take control of the heard. The way they have been caught in action with arms held aloft is superb and details a real integration to what they are doing beyond the image. The soft tones are lovely and this would work beautifully as a large farmed picture on a gallery wall. Very well done.
Even in adversity, the human spirit comes through. This hopeful image does just that, give us hope. The positioning by the photographer perfectly captures the adverse conditions in which people live. The train track takes our eye down the frame into the very existence of the people shown within the image. The muted colors in the background are made more meaningful through the beauty and stunning light captured on the young women whose smile cant help but lift our own spirits. She is proof that you can overcome adversity and still be happy, even if it is for a brief moment. A truly stunning capture. Great photograph.
This was so close to my top 10. It could be a scene from the film Les Miserables but it shows the passion of supporters of what I assume is a football match? The intensity and deep saturated colors are really well controlled and the light on the young girls face poking out from the smoke really makes the image and acts as a sense of scale within the frame. Stunning.
The best photography can transport you anywhere regardless of your present situation. This image works on that premise and more. The photographer captures the reality but by the person looking at an image of a shark in the deep sea he is in that moment taken elsewhere. The camera position is perfect, low down and captures the scene and the space in which the person inhabits very well. Great capture.
This image really gives an overview of the drama and sheer scale of what is unfolding on the ground. With the backdrop of the sea and orange glow in the sky we encounter this surreal scene. The flags offer a sense of passion and power and support and the photographer has done an amazing job in crafting this image that records a moment in history.
It is often said that to get individuals and groups to take real notice of photographs that have a political and human message they have to be beautiful as we turn off from images we feel are difficult to look at. This is a case in point. The image is stunning with deeply saturated colors that almost have the feel of a positive transparency film. The face and its positioning allow the strong directional light to create this sculptural quality and the direct to camera stare means we can't look away, The subtle and abstract nature of the way the flag gives meaning to the image is well positioned within the frame. Regardless of politics this is a picture that makes us think about what is happening within the news. A beautifully crafted image with a powerful message. Stunning.
A beautifully crafted portrait that has been painstakingly put together. The quality of the arrangement and positioning of the camera is perfect. The tiny details of the blanket in the bottom right and the highlighted folded material to the left nestled on the arm chair perfectly frame the lady. The muted but saturated colors work in harmony together. The way the textures of the skin work with the hair and the orange glow coming from behind the curtain is breathtaking. The facial expression and placement of the arm just give an additional dimension to both the ease in which she poses for the photographer and also at the same time the tension it adds to the picture. One of the best portraits I've seen in a very long time. Eggleston would be jealous. Well done.
A stunning and touching documentary portrait that captures the essence of the theme perfectly. The positioning of the photographer emphasizing the sick child with the clown coming into the frame works really well, as it would have been easy for the colors of the clown to over power what the story is about. The hands coming together and the love we see in the eyes as they have this brief but telling connection is all about positivity and the idea that a moment can be magical. The monochromatic tones on the left side work in relation to the explosion of color on the right creating almost two images that come together in perfect harmony. A stunning image of hope and human tenderness. Well done.
The soft colors that surround the lady sweeping the road perfectly balance out this image between the harsh modern world in the background to something that feels other worldly in the foreground. The space given to her perfectly positions her within the larger setting and the stare to camera gives both a sense of equality to the viewer and dignity to the person. The warm saturated tones work well within the image and create a stunning environmental portrait. Great capture.
Sometimes photographs can be of one subject but speak of many more. This is one of those images. On a formal front we have this stunning group of people wearing full veils, The high camera position allows us the viewer to see the wonderful light dance across the veils, especially of the two ladies with longer golden illuminated hair, this creates a stunning image of women walking in tandem to a place together. We could also read it in other ways. How in certain customs individuals have very few rights and people and groups are not heard and seen. A very powerful image. Well done.
The stillness and symmetry of the two men fishing in harmony really shines through in this delicate, literally, balancing act. The monochromatic tones of the water as it fades into the misty sky work well against the soft colors of the men fishing. It's a quiet photograph that is perfectly in tandem with the action or lack of action happening within the frame. It has a painterly feel and it does something that many few photographs can. Offer a timeless view. Stunning.
The tight crop and uniformed symmetry that runs throughout the entire frame adds an additional element in this achingly beautiful and tender image that cant help but put a lump in our throat when we look at this photograph. The scarfed lady at the front of the frame leads our eye into the frame and give this photograph a lasting understanding of grief and a sense of the madness of war. The placement of her hands cradling the makeshift coffin is heartbreaking and the muted greens that run across the entire scene only add to the complexity of the picture. A haunting lasting photograph that will make us think about humanity and does what all great documentary images do. They ask questions.. Well done.
Brief
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Documentary photography had a long association with black and white imagery, but when colour photography became established it was inevitable that a new wave of photographers would embrace it to tell documentary stories with their cameras. Photographers like William Eggleston helped popularise it with his book ‘William Eggleston’s Guide’ (1976), and it brought a new feeling and aesthetic to a genre of photography that stretches right back to the earliest days of the medium.
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It could be a film still from any number of classic Science Fiction films from E.T, to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This strange but beautifully created photograph works so well on many levels, The wonderful silhouetting of the little boy except for the details we can see in both his hands as he outstretches his right arm to make contact with the arm through the other side of the glass. The three lines running vertically across the frame create three stunning panels that are interconnected. Its a great capture that can be read in different ways. Well done.
It reminds me of a scene that could be a dream out of Star Wars. The wonderful silhouetted figures on bikes being chased by Darth Vader. That's what great photographs can do. They can transport you to other places by looking and imagining something else. This is one of those images. The subtle tones and warm glows add to that other-worldly feel as does the sand and mountain setting in which the image is taken. Great capture.
