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Streets Ahead – First Edition – With Maddy McCoy and JQ Gaines

We’re delighted to publish the First Edition of Streets Ahead, the wonderful Women’s Street Photography Column that both Maddy McCoy and JQ Gaines run. This is an incredibly exciting Column and if you would like to learn more about it, go here.

If you would like to join the Streets Ahead Flickr group, please go here – over to you Maddy and JQ (foreward by Joanne Carter).

 

 

“We would like to thank everyone for participating in the Streets Ahead Flickr group. There were many fantastic submissions and we were extremely impressed with the quality of the images. For our inaugural Streets Ahead Showcase we each picked our 5 favorite images from this week’s Streets Ahead Flickr group submissions. We then wrote a little something on why each was chosen. We have to say that it was extremely difficult to narrow our decisions down to only 10 images, as there were so many worthy photos submitted. We will repeat this process every week.

We look forward to seeing your best mobile street shots.

 

Maddy’s Five Selections This Week

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On a mission by Cara Gallardo Weilrdo Weil

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56443868@N02/8328471629/in/pool-streetsaheadtheappwhisperer/

Coming of Age. Burgeoning sexuality. Posse, still needing safety in numbers. They are the future.

 

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“Girl in a Train” by Misses Jones

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55265185@N02/8699029311/in/pool-streetsaheadtheappwhisperer

Who is this lonely girl? I feel her isolation and it pains me. Great catch.

 

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Space by SLP…
LP…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/muself/8189931064/in/pool-streetsaheadtheappwhisperer/

I love the modernity and the movement here. This is the quintessential shot of a beautiful, young, urban, American woman. I feel as if we will look back 30 years from know and know this was 2013.

 

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streetphotography by SUXSIEQ

http://www.flickr.com/photos/suxsie_q/8693164483/in/pool-streetsaheadtheappwhisperer

Perfect capture! We’ve walked into so many conversations here, and I want to listen to all of them.

 

JQ’s Five Selections This Week

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“Brick Lane, London” by Cara Gallardo-Weil/Link to image

 

This is a wonderful combination of street photography and street art… and I’m visually satisfied for several reaons: 1) the perfect division of space; 2) nice distribution of black, red, white and yellow; and 3) there are some very interesting (and subtle) analogous lines that carry our eyes from the street art onto the man walking, which beautifully emphasizes his movement. For example: the curved outline of the circle drawing on the wall is mimicked in his arm. And if we look carefully, we will also see some analogouscurves in the women’s cheek, neckline and hand. And then… if we look at his back leg, we will find the same same directional line in the bottom of her t-shirt as well as the sidewalk and corresponding yellow lines. I really love this shot!

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“Down To Nothing” by Misses Jones/Link to image

I think this is an extraordinary composition of color, lighting, shapes and lines. Not only do we see dynamic movement in the architecture structure, but we also see it in the three people who are facing (and moving) in different directions, which beautifully emphasizes the architectural lines. For me, the people are the elements which help our eyes gracefully navigate this entire space. This just feels perfect and elegant….

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“Namaste no. 1” by Catherine Restivo/Link to image

This is a brilliant capture of movement… using color and form. We feel the strong diagonal pull from the analogous lines in the women’s dupattas (head cloth), profiles, and by the constrast of the field of color against the darkened left corner. Also, our visual journey becomes nicely punctuated by the woman in the foreground who is looking towards the camera. I just love this photograph!

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“Pont Saint-Louis, Paris” by Lumilyon/Link to image

I just think this is an absolutely amazing capture of movement, texture and chaos! There is so much visual intrigue going on… and all with a wonderful, whimsical feel of theatrics. This image and it’s ambiance is beautifully presented by the most fantastic composition of color, tones and lines. I could honestly study this photograph for a very long time…

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“Image” by Kvamp99/Photostream Link

I am completely drawn to the point of view in this image… which consists of a strong diagonal perspective. However, I think the best element is the smile on her face… it makes me delightfully curious about what she is seeing and thinking.

JQ's background is in painting and printmaking at the Pratt Institute, she also owned and operated a Books Arts & Textiles Studio in NYC. Three years ago JQ discovered mobile photography and her work has been exhibited in a number of exhibitions around the world. Maddy McCoy is a US Virgina based mobile photographer. she exclusively uses her iPhone to take and edit all of her images. Maddy is an Historian and Genealogist and originally started using her mobile phone to spontaneously capture the historic sites and landscapes that were disappearing due to development.

7 Comments

  • Mo

    Great first take from the streets! It was wonderful to read Mlles Gaines & McCoy different perspectives of the images; one poetically flourished with beautiful humanity and the next keenly aware of the artistic principles ever-present in life. It would be lovely to read a combined observance from both women on one or two images.

    This is an excellent forum for a dynamic and exciting segment of the street movement.

    Tres bien!

  • Catherine

    What a fantabulous collection of photos! Thank you so much for including me in this wonderful inaugural edition. And congratulations to all the artists featured! 😀

  • Benamon Tame

    Great start with some wonderfully vibrant pieces, especially like Catherine’s Namaste No.1, she has such an eye for colour, and Cara’s Brick lane, London. Amazing image like a collage. Look forward to your next collection!

  • Jennifer Sharpe

    So, so honored to be included in this first edition and among so much talent. Thank you so much and hurray for this wonderful group and column, and all the inspiring work that is being submitted!

  • Stefanie LP

    I can’t say how tickled I am for this group as well as being featured in this article.
    Truly honored to be amongst these woman streetsters.
    Brava encore for starting this group. Can’t say I have ever seen another like it before.
    Long over do…
    Vivian would be proud!!!

    Thank you three lovely ladies.
    Slp

  • Stefanie LP

    I can’t say how tickled I am for this group as well as being featured in this article.
    Truly honored to be amongst these woman streetsters.
    Brava encore for starting this group. Can’t say I have ever seen another like it before.
    Long over do…
    Vivian would be proud!!!

    Thank you three lovely ladies.
    Slp