Street photography

This is a great example of good timing, forethought, and the ability to recognise shapes and patterns in your scene. Taken with a harsh midday sun, the shadow of the straight handrail poles are bent into perfect diagonal lines that look like they've been painted on the steps below. The addition of a passerby gives this shot context - without which would make it difficult to comprehend that this shot is of a handrail on steps outside. His direction makes our eyes move toward the handrail and toward the top of the frame.

It’s doubtful that this photo would’ve worked from any other angle, the high vantage point means we can see the entirety of the long shadow cast by the woman. The walking stick tells us a little about her age and health, both of which are otherwise hard to discern because the front of her is cast into dark shadow. There’s just enough of the street included to tell us that this particular area is run down, where the pavement is cracked and the render has fallen from the walls at the top of the frame.

Some streets have no cement, no concrete, no tall buildings or heavy traffic. This shot of two women strolling in to town gives us a strong sense of location and habitat. You can practically hear the grinding of the red, dusty road these two are walking down. The sky has been mostly framed out – a good idea because there are no clouds or anything of particular interest there. The upper third of the frame is fleshed out with trees and the lower half cast into shadow by the building to the left.