Streets Ahead – Twenty Seventh Edition
Welcome to the twenty seventh edition of “Streets Ahead,” a weekly column dedicated to women mobile street photographers. Each week we review and curate work that was submitted to our Flickr Group. In addition to creating a showcase video which features a sampling of submitted work, we also highlight a few images that caught our attention… offering some thoughtful commentary about technique, composition, and subject matter. If you are not a member of our Facebook group… we highly recommend that you join us! This is our space for sharing newsworthy information and conducting discussions (what, when, where, why and how) about Women Photographers/Artists and Street Photography, in general.
So, if you are a woman street photographer, please join our growing community… I’m sure that you will agree that we are a very enthusiastic and supportive group of women!!
• Flickr Group (for weekly showcase submissions)
• Facebook Group (for information sharing/discussions)
Hope you enjoy this week’s showcase…
‘Walking in the rain’ by Donna Donato (sentimentalDeed)
Flickr link
I always find that photographs taken in the rain or with a wet ground have a certain beauty. The movement in this gives the image a painterly feel. I love that they are both in step, and she is in the front, beautifully elegant. She almost looks like she could be out of an Audrey Hepburn film but the fact that he is wearing trainers tells us it an image of today. The white white line on the road seems to anchor the image. I love the muted reflections on the ground. Beautiful.
‘Shadow of a Doubt’ by Catherine Restivo
Lovely tones in this image – grungy and rusty. The yellow light from the street lamp gives it a bit of a creepy feeling, with the ghostly figure in the foreground. I love the textures, from the stone arch to the metal shutters where we can just about read ‘No parking 24 hr active’. I am trying to work out whether what we see in the shutters is a reflection … very intriguing indeed. Nice composition!
‘Mid-afternoon on Broadway’ by Gina Costa (gcosta9)
I like the juxtaposition of the people against the mannequins and posters in the shop window. The couple on the left look like they are warming themselves up with some coffee. Their legs are touching and though they are facing each other, they do not seem to be looking at each other, so perhaps they are just sitting in quiet contemplation. The two ladies seem to be in mid conversation, with the lady on the right gesturing with her hands to make a point while the other lady looks to her left with a slight smile on her face. I love the glimpse of autumn in the photograph with the red leaves creeping in the top left hand corner and little pile of leaves in the centre.
‘Mother and child’ by Lee Atwell
Wonderful shadows in this image! I love that the mother and child are just a silhouette and their shadows in the foreground are long and larger than life. Lee caught them perfectly between the two columns of the arches. I love that we can just see a tree in the arch on the left and that the sky has a hint of blue. One can almost feel the warmth of the sun. Beautiful moment.
‘Sur la Grande Place’ by Anne-Martine Parent
Another wonderful shadow image! I love the composition of the dancer in the bottom right hand corner. We can just about make out that he has his hands on the ground and his legs in the air. A wonderful capture of the moment against the pattern of the cobblestones and the beautiful light. The performance has also captured the curiosity of the lady walking by. I think black and white was the perfect choice for this, emphasizing the shadows and light.
‘My name is Ruth’ by Tracy Mitchell Griggs
Perfect use of blur to focus our attention on the subject. She looks cold, a little lost – as if she is trying to find some warmth in the ray of light where she is sitting. It feels as if she wants to hide from the world behind the dark glasses and the big hat. ‘My name is Ruth’ as a title makes me curious to know her back story – why she is sitting on a pavement, with a coke can next to her?Tracy, were you able to find out any more about her? Very poignant.
Video Showcase
Cara Gallardo Weil
Cara is a Graphic Designer and amateur photographer with a passion for mobile photography. Born in Hong Kong to Filipino parents who moved there in the early 60s to work in publishing, her early life was spent in Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines. She studied graphic design in London and spent more than 20 years here before returning to Hong Kong, where she currently resides. Cara brings to her street photography a wonderful international and cultural perspective.
8 Comments
Tracy Mitchell Griggs
Thank you for including my image. My subject seemed lucid and we spoke for awhile. It is difficult to ascertain whether she preferred being out on the street – when I questioned her about shelters and the social welfare office, her responses seemed vague. Without advocates however, it is nearly impossible for these people to get help – she did mention some requirement that required her to have an “address” in order to receive benefits-the irony of THAT clearly not lost on me. I typically would never photography
a homeless person unless I was able to speak to them. I am thoroughly disgusted with the US – between the gun violence, the lack of universal health insurance for and now the GOPs continued efforts to derail a social program that would assist many – myself included – just rankles anyone with common sense.
I look at every homeless person I see an think – “there but the grace of go I.”
Cara Gallardo Weil
Thanks for expanding Tracy. A close friend of mine used to work for a homeless charity in London – I think it was specifically for women – and their stories were always heartbreaking. Women who ended up on the streets mostly because of violence at home or a drug habit. How someone who is homeless is expected to provide and ‘address’ is beyond me. Sigh…
Stef LP
In silence and an abundance of words…all u folks do here is appreciated.
Thanks so much for sharing …
Xxo
Stef LP
In silence and an abundance of words…all u folks do here is appreciated.
Thanks so much for sharing …
Xx
Ps
@donna and @catherine…hope u gals print and frame these! Solid wall art
Cara Gallardo Weil
Thanks Stef! xo
Geri
Thanks for the inclusion – I love visiting the “streets” around the globe through this feature! Well done!
Cyndy Johnson
Another great showcase. Great job everyone!
Tracey Renehan
Another great selection. Thank you for including my image. Congratulations to all selected.