The present picture can be defined as a representative example of metarealism. A honest comment on reality.
We all know this is a pre- or post-carnival scene. Nevertheless, it is not journalism nor allegory. It's a mere comment but what gives all its power is the lack of any judgment. Of course, the viewer will identify many elements of the contemporary street photography as it is performed nowadays. Infinite sharpness (due to bright lenses in hyperfocale by default), hyperreal colours (due to AWB doing a super job), anecdotal by contradiction (a surprisingly extraverted behaviour of a dull society), are some of them. However, the keen observing eye of Reiner goes beyond the above, embraces the subjects with empathy and lets his fellow citizens to populate his frame without judging them. Last but not least, the compositional qualities of a seemingly snapshot are well present in order to keep us in the frame and our interest going (leading lines, variety of gestures, stilness-motion, diverging-converging glances). The contextual elements are informative but at the same time discreet (dead-end, 30 km limit, outdoor drying underwear, protection poles), avoiding this way any extravagant perspective which would lead to a surrealistic interpretation (in surrealism judgment is omnipresent and, whatever the scene, the photographer's ego is the sole and only protagonist). More about Reiner Nowotny
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The present image works cropped in any possible way, it works in panoramic, in square, flipped, tilted, vignetted, with blown whites or blotted blacks …
Because the photographer uses cleverly just a couple of familiar and powerful symbols/characters. Stairs for reaching hell or heaven, and the little match girl, or Alice, or the Shining twins … take your pick. You will never be able to get out from this visual trap, elegantly orchestrated by the author, but if you will you may see some more people intruding the frame. The metallic greys obscure perfectly the entries and the exits of this urban labyrinth, and no matter how hard we are trying to escape, still the girl (slightly smiling) is bringing us back repeatedly until we give up hypnotised. The Moire effect and the frontal and lateral lighting help to lure us irreversibly all the way down! Great imagery lesson! The dim imagery of a dream! More on Sorana Bordas Two images from Cuba (most probably). Is the first one, prison or fate? Is the second one, joy or ritual?
I don't like talking about exotic or multi-photographed places which were discovered by pioneer photographers and then they became destinations for supertourists*** and for workshops by assault! These "expeditions", where photographers pass through boredom into fascination, usually produce millions of asexual, self-replicating prosaic images. Nevertheless, here and there some of the newcomers transgress the obvious and create pictures with "noema" as a result of an intentional experience! These insightful photographers bring with them their own vision and are not easily taken over by the superb light and the nostalgic scenery. Albeit all the above, the question remains: How much all this interference of touristic hordes, transformed a desolate underworld into a plastic overworld? A world which is behaving within the absolute inhibition, or which at best, is unsuccesfully evading a counterfeit beatitude. _______________________ *** The photographer is supertourist, an extension of the anthropologist, visiting natives and bringing back news of their exotic doings and strange gear. (S.Sontag on photography) More about Spiros Soueref A great photograph adapts its meaning.
In this image, it's up to you to see Bresson's Sifnos girl, or just a jump to freedom, an escape, or effectively a trap. On the other hand we know that such projections are as frivolous as a morning eagerness … The only certainty is that as long as a photograph pins you down for a few seconds, it is a meaningful picture. In a masterful exercise of subtraction, Florina's instant drawing contains very few shapes. Gracefully outlined already, they are then colorised with residues of oil pastel crayons. Sky blue, lava red and smoked white, on rugged black paper. Pure luck, some would say. Visual anticipative intelligence I would argue. The attentive photographer uses previous trials and errors to construct an educated intuition and thus apprehend the brief blessed moments of an ephemeral flow. Michail Moscholios - Photo by Florina Luput |
This is the public curated Gallery of the STREET CORE PHOTOGRAPHY Group
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Michail Previous
August 2018
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