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Mobile Photography – StreetWise – Tenth Challenge – ‘Lines in the Street’

Line is a rich metaphor for the artists…” Lance Epslund

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to our Tenth StreetWise Challenge Showcase  ‘Lines in the Street.’ We are thrilled to share it with you!

Thank you so much for participating and sharing your wonderful photographs. Lee and I were delighted by all the beautiful submissions to this fun challenge. Lines denote so many things in photography, boundary, edge, or contour — it is the agent for energy and movement and it was wonderful to see the many ways in which people incorporated lines in their photographs

As always, Lee and I hope you enjoy the showcase as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

As a reminder, we choose images for the showcase that are in keeping with our group’s intention and guidelines focusing on the key aspects of street photography  composition, timing, juxtaposition, catching the decisive moment  rather than relying too much on apping. or 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 monthly showcase submissions) https://www.flickr.com/groups/2750883@N25/pool/

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

A special thank you to Joanne.

Many congratulations to the following artists for being featured in this showcase including: Pier Luigi Dodi, Alegremartin, Susan Rennie, Laurance Bouchard, Donna Donato, Ile Mont, Ocean Morisset, Liliana Schwitter, Yuri Rasin, Karen Axelrad, Adelino Marques, Nicholas.luke, Isabelle Wolter, Giulia Baita, basakaytek, Alejandro Cendan Rodriguez, Connie Gardiner Rosenthal, Dina Alfasi, Paula Betlem, Micheldev1, Julia Nathanson, Tuba, Luison, Vondav, Rob Pearson-Wright, Marc Zetterblom, Cara Gallardo Weil, Dave Weinberg,Nick Kenrick, Alegremartin, Satoshi, and J.H. McBandy-Smartphoneographer

Music in this showcase is entitled ‘A Time for Dreams (instrumental) by Angels of Venice

Tuba’s colourful photograph takes the viewer to iconic Cuba, where the streets are as bright as the ocean and the sky above.

It is the cobbled street and stone sidewalk together that initially cut a definitive line across this lively image as they are closest to the eye. This line is repeated within the architecture. First, in a rich brown color at the narrow base of the house then again as it meets the vibrant blue of the plasterwork, which forms the larger horizontal mid-section. The lines in Tuba’s photograph denote the images’ strong graphic sense composed of solid areas that consist of little gradation of tone. The large segments of color and texture are topped off by a Spanish tiled roof, which segues into a deep Caribbean sky. What makes this more than a picture postcard, a beautifully apropos illustration of our challenge, ‘Lines in the Street,’ is that within the confines of a barred window stands a shirtless man characterising this image with a little humor along with the small boy who is standing near him. The grown man juxtaposed to the boy gives infinite life to the imagination. Is there a little traditional role reversal going on here? Why are the men seemingly locked up in a golden cage while the lady, presumably, of the house is ‘free’ on the outside looking toward the end of the street with a determined stance and a sense of curiosity about her. That a bike is poised to go in the opposite direction yet again lends itself to the many storytelling possibilities of this stunning image.

Super photograph, Tuba!  

‘Foggy Morning’ ©Micheldev1

Michel’s wonderful photograph is dream inducing, striking directly at the romantic heart while perfectly depicting our theme ‘Lines in the Street.’

The scene is set on a foggy morning, life itself is hazy as the viewer’s eye is drawn along the strong green line of hedgerow  a horizon line — to a shadowy figure at the end of an earthen lane. We get a glimpse of architecture, of wood clapboard, a hint of reflective window so that we understand we are as yet earth bound as we are entranced. The architecture subtly reinforces the horizon lines on either side of the path and the empty grey sky above is a soft block of color accentuating those same lines. This photographic reverie is a lyrical catch.

Nicely done, Michel!

‘Under the Monsoon Rain II’ ©Pier Luigi Dodi

Pier’s magical black and white photo illustrates so well how lines can be used to create a stunning composition and draw the viewer directly into the photo to the main subject.

The radial composition allows us to feel as though we ourselves are in the photo following behind the monk carrying an umbrella, walking in his shadow perhaps wearing sandals also, getting our feet wet.

The monk’s flowing robe, his rainy reflection and the misty outline of a mountain in the upper left background are a beautiful balance to the triangle rooftop shapes of the temple, imbuing this image with an ethereal quality. Even the tilt of the umbrella is beautifully poetic.

Although it is titled ‘monsoon’ one can’t help but feel a sense of serenity viewing this photo due to its subject and strong composition. Both uniquely lend themselves to balance and as we travel with the monk into the distance our eyes resting on him before moving to his umbrella and then to the spires transcending upward.

Well seen and captured, Pier!

‘BB 12’ ©Alegremartin

In contrast to Pier’s photo that exudes a feeling of serenity, Alegremartin’s dramatic image creates an unsettling feeling with the strong lines emphasising the acute tension in the photo.

The viewer is initially struck by the character in the lower left corner – the wild eyed expression and look of almost terror in their eyes.

Of course, this may not be the case, as in street photography we sometimes capture a fleeting expression that may shift a second or two later – even from a seemingly fearful expression, to joy.

This capture is a great example of how street photography can create a story. Who is this person? Where is this? And, what is creating such an intense expression?

The strong linear composition with the three cars lined up, balanced by the striped sidewalk adds to the drama – it is almost as if it were symbolically capturing humanities race against machines / technology.

Fabulous, Alegremartin!

StreetWise Flickr 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.