New Joiners - People #469

The Whitby Goth weekend has become a really large event with many photographers descending on this small Yorkshire coastal town in the hope of making striking images. This is one of the very best I have come across. The use of black and white fits in with the lack of color in the goth choice of clothes and adds that vampire esque feel to the frame. The harsh sunlight means we only get to see the girls eyes and the fact that she looks into the camera adds to the drama and menace within the picture. This could be a film still it has such quality. Well done to the photographer for getting in so close. Great tonal range and a superb capture.

The expression on the face beautifully lit by the light of the fairground works so well against the soft Hijab she wears. Looking up we get a sense of scale of the ferris wheel even though we never see it. The sharpness on the eyes is lovely and really makes this photograph come alive with emotion as is the shallow depth of field so we do spend our time concentrating on the person. Great capture.

This image has a dream like quality to it. It works on several levels. The softness of the colors that work in harmony together, the wonderful expression on the ladies face is matched with the stare and concentration on the persons face in the background which is lit beautifully from the light outside. The photographers ability to get in so close really adds impact and the fact that the photographer tells us this is posed only makes for a more interesting image. It shows the wonderful acting skills of the models who look totally unaware of the photographer and then the skill of the photographer to make his subjects feel that relaxed, add in great technique and what you have is a superb photograph.

This is a a simple and beautiful portrait of a young woman. They are very happy to pose for the camera but it takes real skill on the photographers part to manage to make a subject so comfortable to get such a natural and warm expression and pose. The three quarter framing works well as do the vibrant colors of the dress and head wear against the greens of the background. The shallow depth of field means we focus our attention on her wonderful smile. We then start to look around the frame and notice the almost hidden bowl she carries. A lovely capture.

This is such a great and fun family portrait using a silhouette technique to really elevate the image. We can still make out the different family members from father, mother and children and the use of black and white only adds to the graphic quality of the image. The seascape setting really gives a flatness to the background and adds depth especially with the well placed people in the background which then also acts as a scale to distance between the two sets of people. The technique is very well done and the details in the sky well controlled. A lovely image.

The unusual low camera angle really adds to the suspense in this image. Why is the lady looking back. This could be a scene from a crime drama on TV. Is she being followed? We don't know and that's the quality of this picture. It allows us to think about what could be happening outside of the frame. In the frame we have this wonderful pink coat and umbrella which work so well lit from the light to the right of the lady and the darkness of the tunnel she has just entered. A well crafted candid street photograph.

The use of a long focal length lens and narrow aperture has created this wonderful bokeh effect in the background which then really isolates this wonderful central figure. The use of black and white really allows for the details to come out especially around the expressive facial stare and hand with the cigarette. The quality of light on the man is warm and really makes him stand out. This is a great example of technique and a very well seen and shot candid portrait. Fantastic

This is a great example of street photography and although this looks like a simple picture. technically it is anything but that. Street photography is considered the most difficult genre in the medium because we cant ever really know what we will see of find. You have to anticipate a scene before it is in the frame. I'm sure the photographer saw this man coming along the road with his amazing appearance and thought what a great image he would make. You then have to react, choose the background, camera angle and time it to perfection. The photographer on this occasion has done all of that. Very well done.

Another great example of a controlled and potentially staged photograph. Do the couple playing chess know they are being photographed? Has this image been set up? We just don't know, nor does it matter. This is beautifully shot. The light on the two people is warm and gives them a glow that separates them from the background. The colors are vibrant and I love looking around the frame to see what I can find, from the globe in one corner of the room to the brush in the other. I love the concentration on the faces as they play a game of chess. Such a fantastic capture.

The quality of light in this image is superb. It looks like it has been lit with lights placed out of frame. Similar to the street portraits by the great American photographer Philip-Lorca diCorcia. The elevated camera angle through the trees gives a surveillance quality to the shot and the greens in the jacket are matched with the green hues in the leaves. This is a compelling and powerfully controlled portrait that is very well constructed and pre- considered. Great capture.

This is a beautifully constructed image. The relationship between the couple created by the space works so well as does the part they play in the set up of this picture. They are cast perfectly as opposites looking away from each other and this creates a tension that is wonderfully photographic in a similar style to the great Larry Sultan and his Pictures from Home series of his own mother and father. The composition with the blank walls of the room, all greys are then lifted by the color of the lady and the wonderful red book she holds onto. This is a great example of staged photography and one of a very high standard. Really well done. Great image

This lovely portrait of a man is perfectly framed by the dark background that centers him within the image. The use of black and white means we concentrate on his face, hair and the very well technically controlled top he wears. It would have been easy to blow out the highlights in a white top set in such a powerfully high contrast photograph so well done to the photographer. The mans expression is all in the eyes and smile. It's warm and make us feel at ease. This is a well constructed picture and its real strength is that it look so natural that it could have been a candid portrait. Really well done.

This is a lovely warm and engaging photograph. The color of the red dress perfectly caught and timed by the photographer as his daughter is captured in this wonderful pose enjoying herself seemingly lost in thought. The slight sense of movement on the dress works with the flip flops just hanging off the soles of the feet and the hair covered again with motion really does lift this image and that sense of movement reminds me of the portraits of the great photographer Henri Lartigue. The pop of red on the car in the background just adds to the visuals of this picture. A lovely candid capture and a photograph that will take pride of place on the family wall.