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Mobile Photography – StreetWise Showcase – November 2016

“Of course it’s all luck.”  Henri Cartier-Bresson

Thank you all so much for inspiring us with your incredible photos – we were quite blown away by the varying depths of creativity in this group!

It makes it very difficult for us to choose such few images for the showcase from all those that were submitted.

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

A special thank you to Joanne.

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 apping. We therefore feel that apping 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.”

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

To those new to our street photography community, welcome – it is great to have you join us!

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:

Ryan Vaarsi, Julia Nathanson, Paula Betlem, Basak Aytek, Satoshi H, Tim Bingham, Daniel Vondav, Vivi, Magda DJM, Nisha Samararatne, Luison, Tuba, Donna Donato, Gergely Hando, Paula Betlem, Melissa David, Karen Axelrad, Laurence Bouchard, J.H. McBandy Smartphoneographer, Ocean Morisset, Ricardas Jarmalavicius, Christophe Gremaud, René Valencia, Albion Harrison-Nash, Paul Yan

 

Ryan’s photo is subtlety stunning with it’s bright white rectangles framing neutral colours, including warm reds, and gold tones.

Of course, there is irony in the words written across the center of the frame – “Do not write on the wall” given that this is a capture of a tribute to street art in New York City located in SOHO.

The art in frames is the main focus of this image and that the figure is dressed in neutral shades of grey and black that blends well with the background allowing it to take center stage. This also allows the viewer to focus on the most intriguing aspect of the photo – the shadow of the woman that looks like some kind of oversized cat-like animal, giving rise to the viewer’s imagination.

This magical invitation goes beyond what is initially obvious and incorporates an ethereal quality where one could imagine the shadow to be her ‘spirit animal’ captured by the magic of photography.

Super photo, Ryan!

‘Umbrella’ – Nisha Samararante

Nisha’s wonderful photo is mysterious and beautifully composed.

Initially we see ten black masculine looking dress shoes that we could imagine are being worn by commuters on a busy public transit – as most appear to be standing and facing this way and that.

There is mystery created by the fact that all the figures are also wearing black attire and that you cannot see their faces. Even the hands of those standing are not visible.

We are captivated by the intensity of the turquoise umbrella which is so beautifully framed against the black ‘suit legs.’  The black purse behind the umbrella is juxtaposed by the white bag, and the white bag balances so well the turquoise umbrella.

These elements lead us deeper into the photo where we see a yellow horizontal line below what looks like to be a red purse.

As we look closer, we see the one and only hand which seems to be holding a mobile device.

Well seen, Nisha!

 

‘Urban Cowboy’ – Luison

Luison’s masterful use of light and shadows create an eye-popping photograph that at once transports the viewer to another era while beautifully capturing the streets of Spain at present. It is this wonderful duality that makes this image timeless.

When looking at Luison’s ‘Urban Cowboy’ we are immediately immersed in a story, the details of which are stunning. The main figure is both in light and shadow, his hat, (and therefore his style), the most prominently displayed. The cane and the long side of his pants are also lit up by what seems the setting sun from behind him. In fact, the position of the sun and that the man is in the twilight of his life is beautifully and profoundly apropos and provides more depth to this already detailed image. There’s enough going on in the street, the graffiti, the storefront windows, to offer the viewer a sense of time and place, as well as, act as a nice perspective line. This line moves through the frame to encompass the main figure, highlighting his prominence. The long shadow of the man also follows this line providing additional emphasis to the perpendicular figure so that he quite literally pops up in his graceful stride. One gets a sense of elegance in movement that has been refined over a long life.

This photograph is so beautiful it could be a movie poster.

Well captured and composed Luison!

 

‘The Stance’ – Donna Donato

Donna’s image ‘The Stance’ is a superb example of both Night and Street Photography.

At once, we are immersed in the details of a lovely city scene. The streets are wet from rain, and the reflection there from the lights above give this image a wonderful sense of drama and life happening. The storefronts offer the viewer a feeling of time and place. We know it is night, but not late enough for shops to be closed for merchandise is still out on display and waiting to be purchased.

What immediately catches the viewer’s eye, however, is the main figure. A woman elegantly dressed all in white even down to her shoes. What’s more, her umbrella is also white adding to her elegance and to her prominence, too. She stands out. Not only is she front and center in the frame, as Donna so aptly alludes in her title, the woman’s stance roots her in distinction as the main feature of this beautiful photograph. One almost can’t take one’s eyes from her.

But there are lots of additional details for the viewer to take in. Such as the legs of the woman passing by almost in a blur mirroring the ‘V’ of the main subject’s stance. There’s a lovely sense of perspective created by the light of the shops in the darkness. The viewer’s eye can follow it from the first store, jump to the neon sign of the café and then follow the line of light into the distance where there appears to be the floating bulbs of street lamps, lending this image a certain magic only available at night. There are also windows in the buildings above the shops and café, some on, some off creating shapes that disappear into the dark. Finally, there’s a feeling of timelessness in this lovely scene, a sense that we have all dreamt this before. A rainy night, reflections and light a little dazzling and magical. And, a woman who stands out and lures us in like a movie star from the past.

Well done and seen, Donna!

 

StreetWise Flickr Group 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.

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