Performing

I love the color and the power of this fun image. It captures the art of performance with all its excitement quite well. I don't mind the blurry extremities. or the centeredness of the performer, or the fact that the feet are cut off because you can feel the excitement here. Great shot! Full and vibrant and so much fun to look at. The crowd in the background looks like a projection on a screen and just ads to the fun. Without that crowd, the image wouldn't be as strong.

This image captures street performance so well. No one is around but the beat goes on and he looks so great in his frame. I am not bothered by the tourists in the background. He waits quietly for them, the performance is continuous but still. He's isolated so well by the black felt cloth, like he's in his own little world. Doesn't matter if anyone is watching or not. The still life show lies in wait.

I liked this image immediately. The expression on the models face is palpable. The feeling of being trapped in a glass box with water is indeed a bit scary and that's how I'm reading her expression. The blue dress is a wonderful compliment to the models red hair. The hands outstretched and pushing against the glass is a great contrast to her billowing hair and bubbles. A beautiful shot.

This shot is very simple and yet so effective. I'm sure I'm enjoying it more in black and white than I would in color. The idea of performance and showmanship is great. A very professional image. The viewers eye goes straight to the performers face and yet there is so much detail in the patterns and textures that surround her that you feel like you want to reach out and touch that costume. A quiet performance in a loud environment makes for great contrast.

This image makes you feel the excitement of the performance. The falling ticker tape pieces, lit up perfectly in all the negative space makes the performers stand out well. This is what performing is all about. Taking a few elements and creating a lot of energy and emotion. The band members are well placed within the image and the horizon line feels just right.

I love this image. It's a show stopper. The sheer will and strength that the swimmer shows is wonderful. The fast shutter speed and the long focal length captured a moment in time perfectly. Bravo to the swimmer and the photographer too! This is truly a great performance.

It's hard not to be impressed by this image. Definitely a performance on a grand scale. The timing of the shot is great and captures all the planes in perfect symmetry. Use of a high shutter speed and long focal length make this image work well.

This street performer cracks me up. The two kids in the foreground make this shot. Both with their hands gently clasped behind them, watching in silence. I love that the performer is in his own world and not engaging with his audience at all. His colorful suit and guitar pop out so well amongst the overall grey of the image. The placement of the three subjects is perfect and makes your eye move around this comical image well. I also love the age difference. The older performer playing for the quiet, well behaved children.

The viewer gets lost in the sheer emotion of the singer in this image. The streaks of light in the background perfectly frame the singer and the overall backlit feel is great. I don't mind the blurriness of the hands and arms here either, they give power to the performance. The use of black and white lets the viewer get lost in the feeling, which is what performing is all about.

When I first chose this image as part of the top 10, I neglected to read that it was created using AI. I took pause and thought that maybe an AI created image shouldn't make it into this category. However, it's one of my favorites and works so well. AI is something that we will all be immersed in and so, it is with that in mind that I kept it in the top 10. The photographer did and excellent job directing this photo. The clarity of the performer against the whirlwind of cards and streams of colored light is very effective..

I love this image for the energy it creates. I like the tilted horizon line and the joy and exuberance of the two musicians. The use of black and white is good and takes away any distractions so that the viewer feels the performance. Both of these gentleman are caught up in their playing and I wish I was there to join in the fun.

This image of the water performers is wonderful. The photographer captured it perfectly with the high shutter speed. I also like the colored pails that they're using. If the pails had been black or white, the image wouldn't have been as strong. It needs the color pop. Great shot!

What a wonderful photo of the street dancers. The wide open aperture and sharp focus on the lead dancer works perfectly. The viewer's eye goes right to the child's smiling face. If the whole image had been sharp it wouldn't have worked as well. There's so much joy in the kids expression and stance. A real showman in the making! The square format is nice as well...a throwback to when many of us shot this way.

I love the energy of the movement in this shot. I also love the backlit profile. The only thing I wish that had been different is the tangency of the performers face with the girls in the background. Great job getting the dancers face so sharp with a relatively slow shutter speed!

I love the simple elegance of this image. The performer seems to be dancing totally alone. You can feel the audience there and yet don't have to see them. The use of black and white makes this photo feel like it's from another era.

This image could have made it into the top if only I could have chosen more than 10 images. I love the performers expression, both with her face and the gesture of her shoulders, arms and hands. The image is so clear and so full of emotion. I love it.