Noir Photography

This very classic image contains all the elements of the noir: the black and white low key, the man emerging from the darkness, immobile and focused on an invisible interlocutor, the impassive girl, not seeming to feel any emotion, and the inevitable shade of the Venetian blinds on the right, which breaks up his face. The male figure, maybe a detective, struck me by his dramatic nature, conveyed by the single visible eye, fixed and wide-eyed. Thank you so much for this terrific image!

As soon as I saw this picture, I realized I found the Boss of my Chicks. He is perfect, with his shaved skull, his quiet and self-confident demeanor and his alert gaze. And the cigar, the inevitable accessory of any self-respecting underworld boss; in this case I easily imagine him as the owner of an illegal gambling den. The crisply ironed white shirt, perfectly accented by the lights and shadows, drew me into the scene, and I was enraptured by the watchful eye and the cigar smoke. Congratulations for the shot, I really appreciate it!

Thanks to you all for partecipating to this contest whith very high level photos. It was very difficult to chose the top ten! This portrait, amongst the many in competition, is in my opinon the most intense as well the most dramatic. The eyes, the nose and the lips of the model come out of the shadows in a very powerful low key shot. The photographic tecnique and the light control are perfect, but the most perfect image is nothing without soul, and here I can feel strongly the soul. Being a compulsive consumer of pre-war detective stories, I imagine the dark ladies of these novels with a similar face, sweet and strong all at once. Thank you so much for participating with this impressive image!

This is one of the images that most drew my attention, and on which I stopped longer, savoring the wise use of the lights and shadows and the play of the only two colors: the red and the green. The vertical cut first focuses the attention on the table, whose plan emerges from the dark; this is illuminated by a spot suspension lamp, and on it stand two placemats and the red firebase. Only a few moments later did my glance move to the wall, lit by a cold neon light. It's a style and a subject that strongly reminds me of Edward Hopper's painting. Even though there is no human presence, I figured that a clandestine couple had just left the table to lose themselves in the night. Thank you so much for this exctiting shot!

A fun shot further emotionally charged by the technique, the setting and the very accurate period costumes. The photographer opted for a long and narrow format to highlight the scene as much as possible while excluding any distracting elements. The man on the left with his mustache and hat reminds me of the famous ‘Commissaire Maigret’, immortalised by Georges Simenon. Likewise, the Lady with her feathered bonnet brings us back in time to the immediate post-war period. Thank you so much for the ideation and implementation!

Great night shot, very intense and realistic. The vertical cut that draws the attention directly to the grocery store, open and lit from within, with an old sign that takes us back decades is very well chosen. Only later did my eye move to the scene on the left: a man taken from behind sitting in a chair on a doorstep while a second man in a white shirt leans against the wall. Southern Italy, perhaps, and perfect setting for an all-Italian noir with the Mafia shadow in the background. I actually enjoyed this picture!

This portrait is another magistral homage to the literary genre called ‘Noir’. The brim of the hat hides the gaze of the protagonist, that I imagine tough and resolute. The right hand is near to the armpit, toward the gun, in a classical act. The puff of smoke on the left is still a reference. It’s a high tension scene, enhanced by the vertical cut of the photo and by the skillfull use of the lights. Thank you so much for this shot!

Perfect location and composition for this image that has a lot to tell. The vertical cutting focuses on the back of a slightly stooping man who carries a raincoat under his arm, which immediately identifies him as a private eye. He reminds me of Philip Marlowe, the tough, honest, tormented investigator, protagonist of Raymond Chandler's detective stories. At this point my imagination took off and I could imagine him tired after a day tracking down suspects, waiting for the underground train and heading home, where he would enter the living room of a furnished apartment, and pour himself a generous glass of whiskey on the rocks. Great job!

Mysterious nights are an intrinsci component of Noir, including those people by steam trains, carrying their load of murderers, spies, and dark ladies. This parked train immediately brings to mind Agatha Christie’s ‘Orient Express’. I look at this image, technically perfect in its Black and White high key, then close my eyes and get carried away it in the novel, in the adventure. This is an image that speaks through the smoke, the cold light of lanterns and the stationary silhouette of the stationmaster, the only visible human figure; meanwhile, in the carriages about to depart, so many different and tragic stories intertwine. Thank you so much for making me dream!

This image captures the full meaning of Noir and I was hypnotized by the story it suggests. The shooting technique is great, the contrast between the lights and the shadows is strong, and in the light cone a lonely figure moves, projecting a mysterious, deformed, dark shadow on the naked brick wall. Toward what appointment is our man heading? It's a whole story to imagine. The only remark I have to do about that photo is the format. In my opinion, it would be good to cut the top, it would really bring the focus more onto the subject. Well done! Thank you so much for this wonderful shot!