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Mobile Photography – StreetWise Showcase – August 2016

“You just have to live and life will give you pictures.” Henri Cartier-Bresson

Such a joy to view all of the photos submitted to our StreetWise Flickr group from around the world! Thank you so much for participating and inspiring us with your images and welcome, also, to those newer to our street photography community.

Once again, it was difficult for us to choose only a relatively few images from all those that were submitted – we were blown away by the quality of the photos.

As a reminder, we choose images for the showcase that are in keeping with our group’s intention and guidelines  “We believe that it is important to focus on the key aspects of street photography  composition, timing, juxtaposition, catching the decisive moment  rather than relying on too much aping. We therefore feel that aping should be kept to a minimum  cropping, tweaking exposure, colour, adding a grain or texture is ok but we would like to see you steer away from overly app’ed images that are more art oriented or painterly.”

We hope you will enjoy viewing the showcase as much as Ilana and I enjoyed putting it together!

If you are a mobile street photographer, please consider joining our growing community.

Flickr Group (for weekly showcase submissions) https://www.flickr.com/groups/2750883@N25/pool/

Facebook Group (for information sharing/discussions) StreetWise – Mobile Street Photography – an TheAppWhisperer.com Group

Many congratulations to the following artists for being featured in this showcase including:

Christine Mignon, Albion Harrison-Naish, Joshua Sarinana, Isabel Alonso, Cara Gallardo Weil, Luison, Giulia Baita, Roy Savoy, RK, Ocean Morisset, Jo Sullivan, Dinalfs, Karen Axelrad, woltarise, Laurence Bouchard, AlegreMartin, Elliot Lyons, Dominique Torrent, Petyr Campos, Paula Betlem, Gina Costa, Magda DJM, Ale Di Gangi

 

Untitled – Christine Mignon

Christine is quite a master of including quirky perspectives and characters into her photos.

What one may first notice in this enchanting summer capture are the colors – relaxing and soothing with the warm tan shades and pale turquoise offset by the pops of red (often invoking feelings of happiness) which immediately draws the viewer into the photo.

The strong intersecting foreground lines and the woman’s legs almost seem to be an ironic play on the compositional guideline of ‘the golden ratio’ where imaginary horizontal and vertical lines are concentrated in the center of the frame. The idea is that if you place points of interest along the lines or at the intersections that the photo becomes more balanced and will invite the viewer to interact with it more naturally. (This compositional guideline is found in many classical works of art).

The thick organic looking rope railing making up the strong horizontal lines exudes a feeling of being by the sea and also creates natural frames for the pops of red color.

On closer viewing, one notices that not only are the chairs and the woman’s shoes are red, but also her toenails and fingernails, as well as the type in the publication she is reading.

The video surveillance is written in Italian which gives the photo a sense of place and time – and is also a sign of our times, although the fact she is reading a publication and not staring into a digital device is very refreshing.  The woman’s expression, as she peers through her glasses at the viewer from under her floppy hat, adds intrigue to the photo.

Well seen, Christine – brava!

 

Untitled – Isabel Alonso

Isabel’s photo is a stunning minimalistic shot. The clean lines, the broad areas of color combined in simplicity is quite dramatic. The deep blue sky, lighter blue column and the grey and black foreground are beautifully contrasted by the imposing, starkly white wedge coming out of the right side of the frame.

The strong composition of triangular shapes is also wonderfully offset by the vertical column and its shadow cast upon the white wall.

The single pop of red clothing draws the viewer’s eye towards the subject who is quite perfectly balanced between the two vertical shapes.

On closer view, one notices the waves and seagull in the distance, and suddenly this minimalistic image has a lovely seaside feel that invites the viewer to want to know where this beautiful place is.

Well done, Isabel!

 

‘Dwelling Among Dead Machines’ – Albion Harrison-Naish

Albion’s ‘Dwelling Among Dead Machines’ at once transports the viewer to an other worldly place, a place of magic.

This photograph almost seems a dream. As if the yellow brick road has made a river-like detour snaking its way through a mysterious city into the distance. The sun is high in the sky, casting a brilliant light setting the winding path aglow. The single figure, umbrella above head, is accompanied on her journey only by her own shadow, the figure itself is representative  stick-like — and onto it’s fleeting form the viewer is invited to imagine where she might be headed. One gets the sense it is into this city of shadows to Dwell Among the Dead Machines as Albion so poetically calls his photograph.

I love the stark contrast of light and shadow that imbue this image with mystery and drama. One can just make out the square shapes of windows on buildings and one wonders, does anyone else dwell there? In the distance, there are a few trees suggesting perhaps some signs of life other than the solitary subject. One can only wonder. And also, where is this place? Is it real? Or has Albion somehow managed to conjure this image up from one of his dreams. These are some of the questions and thoughts Albion’s beautiful photo evoke. So very creative, Albion. Bravo!

 

‘The Face Of’ – Joshua Sarinana

Joshua’s The ‘Face of’ seems rather like a ‘face off’. One immediately wonders, who is this person? What’s with the relentless stare? What does he want? The fact that the main subject is right there  so close — is mesmerising.

As the viewer, we have the luxury of being able to stare back. To try to get to know this person through the almost invisible shield between viewer and subject, but because it is simultaneously revealing and obscuring we can’t quite quench this curiosity. That’s what makes this wonderful image so alluring. The artistic twist turns this street portrait into a mystery the viewer wants to solve. Who is this intense, solitary young man whose face is almost obfuscated in the gritty city? We want to know. Well done, Joshua

StreetWise Video Showcase

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Ilana Buch-Akoundi is an Interior Designer with a background in fine arts, and a passion for mobile photography. Influenced by classical art and literature, she views mobile photography as not simply capturing moments as they happen, but as a marriage of dreams and visions from inner life and reality. Street photography, as a composite emerging from the speed of life, and what’s resonating within. Born in New York City where she still resides with her husband and two children, Buch-Akoundi recently founded hipstaNYC dedicated to Hipstamatic images of New York City, where people from all over the world can showcase their photographs of NYC. She has had photographs featured in mobile photography websites and web-magazines as well as international shows. Lee Atwell has been passionate about the art, science and magic of photography since the time she was a child – at which time her father had converted a small bathroom into a darkroom. For the past few years, she been captivated by the versatility, convenience, and creative potential of mobile photography. In street photography, she enjoys the challenge of capturing the unexpected and also the necessity of being present moment to moment with the surrounding environment – whether it is the continual shifting of light and shadows or the instantaneous and fleeting expressions and postures of people on the street. She has received several international photography awards and has had photographs featured in publication, mobile photography websites and web-magazines. She has also had photos exhibited in several cities – in the USA, Canada, Italy, France, Hungary, Belgium and Portugal. Atwell also teaches yoga and owns a yoga studio in Seattle with her husband.