Streets Ahead – Eleventh Edition

In Stark Contrast – Flickr link
by Sharon LuVisi

Brilliantly seen! And to be honest, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw this one. Visually, Sharon nailed it. She captured light vs. dark… the front of a woman vs. back of a woman… legs together vs. legs apart…. arms up and out vs. arms held close to the body. And she also beautifully framed the image with the golden section… utilizing the lines and the text to navigate our eyes to the woman’s silhouette on the far right. But, of course, the perfect punctuation to this image is that Sharon took it at an exhibition of Helmut Newton’s photography… excellent!

“Photo” – Flickr link
by Frederique Bellec (Eyephoneographer)

What a wonderfully whimsical image! For me, this is a visual interprestation of a human being interacting with street art. The obvious elements that initially grab our attention are the bold graphic colors, lines and overall composition… everything nicely divided and arranged within the rectangle. But the best part is the humor. The eyes on the streetart figure seem directed right at the woman walking… while her hand is raised over her face as though she’s trying to escape from being seen! Great instincts and capture, Frederique!

“Wandering 21” – Flickr link
by Manuela Matos Monteira

I think this is such a great capture of motion, and I completely love how the three main people are of the same gender, yet they have completely different characteristics… an older woman with a shopping bag… a woman in sports attire (who is obviously walking with a quickened pace) and the woman far ahead who appears to be dressed fashionably. Each one is beautifully spaced within the composition, moving at different speeds. I am also visually satisfied with Manuela’s processing choices – she created a very light atmosphere, which gives us the feeling of a passing glimpse.

“Alone” – Flickr link
by Maj Jones

I find this image to be extremely powerful and moving. Maj definitely captured a lovely Hipstamatic moment with a dynamic composition. The strong vertical line (tree trunk) and the horizontal lines in the pavement divides the overall space beautifully, which gives the woman a clearly defined boundary of empty space. It’s not clear to us whether she’s sitting in prayer… or sitting in sadness. But either way, her body posture and hanging of the head indicates a mournful state. And just like our eyes can’t help but pause on her… our hearts can’t help but pause with her.

“Tamil Nadu” – Flickr link
by Cathy Scholl

This is such a stunning shot.! And to top it off, Cathy’s processing choices really turned this image into a visual treat… using a color filter to beautifully highlight the orange cloth. I just think the point of view is fantastic! Even though it’s clear that the photographer caused some attention by her presence, we don’t feel at all like we are unwanted. In fact, the sadhu with the long beard appears very accepting and inviting. The bright lights tell us that it is nighttime… and the fact that everyone is standing/sitting stationary, facing the same direction, iindicates that this is a festival or religious function of some sort (which, I must admit, piques my curiousity.) But for me, the true beauty in this image is its timelessness…. not due to the post processing, but because of the rich South Indian culture. The bright lights and pink poster are the only things that give away which century this image was taken in. Beautiful capture, Cathy!