New Joiners - People #540

This accomplished image makes supremely good use of lighting. In the caption, you mention being inspired by Vermeer, which is evident in your skillful use of this window light. It sounds like an interesting project you're working on, but I'm sorry to hear it is laced with the tragic loss of your friend and Dave's son.

Wow, that's a fabulous image. The swathe of human beings on the beach looks fantastic in contrast to the calmness of the sea. I see echoes of the great Italian photographer Massimo Vitali, who made stunning aerial shots of beaches. Check him out!

This thoughtful image has a strong narrative element. Given that the subject is covered in snow, I'm sensing that they have just come in from the cold, but I'm not certain; the mystery is good. The quiet, moody lighting is wonderfully atmospheric. Good work.

This is an excellent photograph. The main protagonist is positioned perfectly in the centre of the frame. The starkness of the colour palette adds intriguing layers of meaning and narrative. The subject's gaze, looking to the left of the frame, suggests reflection and contemplation. Great image!

This is an excellent 'environmental' portrait with the subject skillfully positioned in the frame. Rerading the caption, I love how you've explored deeper numances and narratives in the photo, looking for metaphors and other layers of meaning. This is ultimately what will make work more engaging.

This is an excllent portait. In the first instance, I love the framing, with the subject artfully positioned in the 'graffiti space', skillfully using a frame-within-frame technique. The suggested narrative with the subject looking out the frame adds to the story. Good job!

Shop windows can be an excellent resource for the creative street photographer. Playing with reflections, depth, and layers can add nuance, edge and narrative. I love the juxtaposition of these images within images. The black and white treatment serves the image well. Good work.

The shallow depth of field and the use of a wide aperture, in this case f5.6, blurs the background, making it less distracting and also separating the subject from it, a technique popular with portrait photographers that you've clearly mastered. The black and white conversion has been handled sensitively.

This lovely image has an exquisite vintage travel photography vibe. The warm, monochromatic palette gives the photo an artful timelessness. The near silhouette character makes the shapes vital, with the little sliver of negative space between the subject and foreground critically holding the image together. Perfectly timed. Good work.

This is a cracking shot and a lovely idea; I'd be keen to see the other two images in the trilogy, perhaps made into a triptych, as seen in another entry in this round. The lighting, angle of view, and black-and-white treatment all feel pitch perfect.

There's a lot to unpack in this thought-provoking image. At first glance, it seems like a decent travel photograph of Buddhist monks. Then, the slow reveal and realisation that the child monk is pointing a gun into his mouth; thankfully, after reading the caption, the backstory reveals it's a water pistol. Still, the incongruity of the firearm and the monk and their alarming juxtaposition give us something to think about.

A combination of your telephoto's longest focal length (83mm equivalent) and the widest aperture (f/4) has created a lovely shallow depth of field. Not only did this create a wonderfully blurred foreground, but you have also cunningly used this to your advantage and shot through it to create a frame within a frame.

Wow, I love the golden light flooding this atmospheric image; the light harmonises beautifully with the subjects' hair colour, adding to the warm-hued glow. The sparkles of light reflecting on the water at the top of the frame add a magical twist and are the icing on the cake. Kudos to you for noticing and capturing a lovely moment.

Spooky! This is a clever and cunning capture in which you have used lighting extremely well to evoke an eerie otherworldliness. You have also artfully balanced the exposure of the background perfectly to render the lovely blue hues of twilight. Good work.