Streets Ahead – Eighteenth Edition

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Another gorgeous and visually successful image from Tracey!! Not only is this photograph beautifully composed… but it has a very interesting narrative. The body gestures of these three men all point to some kind of intrigue, with the focus and attention placed on the man at the end. This has a rich cinematic feel to it… the black and white tones are nothing short of luscious and delicious. *Sigh* And because my background is in bookbinding… I find my thoughts constantly coming back to: “What a fabulous book cover!!!”

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I personally find working with double exposures difficult, and have completely shied away from exploring this genre. However, Jennifer’s photograph is inspiring me to take a more serious look at re-attempting this technique. I just love the mood that she has captured here. Without seeing the details, I can “feel” all the rushed and hectic activity in this coffee shop… complete with loud morning chatter and movement. I think this is a wonderful example on how clearly we can see by using our emotions and feelings.

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Christine has such a magnificent eye for subject matter and composition, and to be honest, I found myself wanting to comment on nearly every single image she shared with us. However, this photograph jumped out at me the loudest… three women occupying three separate spaces (the foreground, middle ground and background)… all facing (and walking) in different directions with distinctly different expressions. It just can’t get any better than this. What a fantastic shot, Christine… very intuitive and well- spotted! Sending you a virtual “High Five!” for this one!

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I have no words to describe the powerful emotions this image triggers for me… and personally, I think this photograph is one that deserves our complete recognition and attention. Before getting to the social/political content… I want to congratulate Gina on a beautiful composition and narrative. The visual path is beautifully defined, navigating our eyes directly from the foreground into the background, observing every single detail along the way. I also feel that her artistic choice in using a sepia filter was a brilliant one… because this one factor, alone, elevates this image into a “timeless” position. But putting all the artistic elements aside, what really strikes a chord is that we are forced to ask the question: Was this taken in the 1950‘s/1960‘s… or was this taken yesterday?” Yep. None of us can escape this question… and that, in and of it itself, speaks volumes.

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Exactly how Nettie got this spectacular shot, we’ll never know… unless she tells us, of course. But what I do know is that I find this image EXTREMELY intriguing. Probably the most interesting response I found myself having is that I was not satisfied standing still while viewing this photograph. Instead, I wanted to interact with this image like a piece of sculptural art… walking around and studying this couple from many different sides and angles. And I don’t ever remember approaching a photograph with this kind of fascination before 🙂 I think this is a gorgeous representation on how we, as photographers, should be approaching our subjects with a genuinely inquisitive nature… letting our eyes embark on a journey that wants to seek out new discoveries and perspectives. Beautiful photograph, Nettie!

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Tuba’s processing choices on this photograph beautifully highlights and accents the mood of this young woman. Without a doubt, she is deeply immersed in her own thoughts while en transit somewhere. I’m not sure exactly why, but I feel a certain amount of empathy for her. Clearly, we will never know exactly what she was thinking about… but I can’t help and wonder: Is she daydreaming? Is she anticipating something about to happen? Or is she regretting something that already happened? I really love the introspective nature of this photograph…