Marcel Christ

Marcel Christ is a still-life photographer based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, who used to study chemical engineering before switching to photography. He combines these two interests of his to create his unique style of still-life photography, using meticulous control of the studio environment to capture and immortalize inanimate objects in a singular moment.

In this image for Adidas, Christ has created a very chilly environment for the shoe to be floating in, almost as if it was in an ice cube. The cracks on the ice can be seen and the shoe also seems to be moving within the glacial environment. There is little shadows around, which places the focus squarely on the shoe and the icy environment.

I feel this is a tremendous shot of liquid photography, capturing the one moment of the perfume bottle being shattered and the waves of perfume gushing out. The light is clean and focuses on the colour of the perfume liquid. Christ also does not escape details, such as the cracks on the bottles.

A moment of fruit explosion captured in time, Christ uses this visual for a campaign for De Kuyper Royal Distillers. The messaging of a taste and fruit explosion is not lost on the viewers, as one can see and feel the bits of fruits and pulps in their mouths with this visual image.

In this milk shot, Christ has captured the splashing motion of liquid in a very refined way. The shape of the splashes remind me of a tree, as if to say the milk is the liquid of all life.

For this image for Nike, one can almost feel the sensation of scoring the goal with this soccer ball. Christ has managed to create vibrancy with the water splashes and the ‘swishing’ of the goal’s net. I also like how he has placed Nike’s logo nicely  within the square of the net.

Christ has taken many visual elements of Japan and combined them to create the shape of an Onitsuka shoe. I think this clever combination certainly attracts attention with its colours and shapes. With the tagline ‘Made of Japan’, Christ has created an unusual take on the shoe’s branding and expressed it in his individual style.

Though the elements in this image may seem to be exploding in different directions, it is clear that they combine to become sushi. Photographing for Planet Sushi, these sushi ingredients seem to have a life of its own and seem to be coming at you directly, giving it a sense of dynamism.

The liquid splashes that Christ creates are simply amazing, with its colours, textures and shapes. In this image, his strength in liquid photography shines and the colour splashes act as an inspirational background for the soul reviving tea it is advertising for.

All images copyright of Marcel Christ.

Claire Benoist

Based in Manhattan, New York, Claire Benoist is a still-life advertising photographer whose works usually have the clean and colourful style. In addition to her website, she also uses her Tumblr to showcase her photographic work.

For this photo shoot for Target Pharmacy, Benoist used primary colours to attract the viewer’s eye directly to the bottle and bottle caps. It brings about a bright and youthful image for the pharmacy, while the falling direction of the bottle caps add a dynamism to the image.

Benoist titled this “Jeweled Subway Map” and I think it is a very apt title for this image. With the lines of the jewellery chains as subway lines and the various pendants as station stops, I think it is a rather cute and whimsical way to represent jewellery. The light is clean and sharp, as are the shadows cast by the jewellery boxes.

For this photo, Benoist titled it “Color Blocked” and it is clear why she did that. With the clash of the various colours, the visual somehow creates a colour harmony that appeals to me, especially with the lines and patterns on the bags and background. Again, the light is quite clean and sharp, casting little shadows on the background.

With simply one glance, everything about the colours and patterns and symmetry in this photo just catches my eye. The arrangement of the perfume bottles is tight and symmetrical, and the colours of the bottles and the background is very complementary. With the cast shadows, it almost makes the perfume bottles appear to be black and white chess pieces.

Benoist’s light-hearted and curious touch on this image definitely grabbed my attention, putting the ice cream scoops in the role of soft toys being grabbed by the ‘claw’ in the UFO arcade machine. I also love her attention to detail with the ice cream drops, and how she balances the colours of each ice cream flavour in the arrangement.

For this jewellery photo shoot, Benoist chose a matching colour background scheme with the jewellery piece and created this soothing and creative image. At first glance, it may seem like the jewellery piece is a part of the floral background and blends in well, sparkles and all. There seems to be a lot of light here, as there is not much shadows in this image. Benoist probably didn’t want any shadows to create a distraction from the jewellery piece.

With a strong element of lines and symmetry, this photo drew my eye immediately. With a background reminiscent of square graph paper, the graphic element is only more strongly emphasised. The lines of the necklace is also aligned with the graph lines, making the image even more symmetrical.

With this image, Benoist has somehow created an artistic work with just cosmetic creams, lipstick and pencil shavings. By giving them textures and shapes, she has created a visual style that is unique and whimsical in its storytelling. The colours are also very nicely arranged, with the bold colours on top and the neutrals in the bottom.

All images copyright of Claire Benoist.

Nori Inoguchi

Nori Inoguchi is a Japanese photographer who was educated in New York and has since forged a career as a luxury still-life photography. His approach to shooting can be described as minimalistic with a touch of sophistication. Currently, he is based in New York with his photo studio, Studio lx [lúːks].

This image is simple in its design and clear in its visual message. With just a weighing balance and a martini glass, it shows how the laptop is the equal of style and weight of a chic martini glass. The lighting is also rather soft and gradual in its tones (going light to grey from left to right), which somewhat matches the colour tones of the objects in the halves of the image.

In this image, the transparency of the perfume bottle is apparent here, together with its translucent shadow. Both of these qualities attracted me to this image, focusing the audience’s eye to the dark and light blue tones of the perfume bottle. The lighting looks clean on the marble-like platform that the bottle is on and makes the reflection of lights on the bottle look very sharp and simple.

For this image, Nori didn’t use actual ball bearings to show his visual message but round, black shiny spheres to emulate the product. With a dotted background, the round circle shape of a ball bearing is emphasised in the audience’s mind. With the bright and clean light, the reflections of the lights are almost similar in each sphere, adding a sense of symmetry to the photo. The arrangement of the spheres is also very pleasing in its graphical nature.

One may be mistaken in thinking this shot is about selling the alcohol drink being splashed around, when it is actually about the jewellery spilling out of the glass. The colours of the liquid and the jewellery is both striking and complementary, and the overall ‘flow’ of the image’s story (reading it from left to right) is rather smooth – seeing the pink liquid and discovering some parts of the jewellery are slowly spilling out from the glass.

This is really a refreshing photo to look at, with its white and green as dominant colours. It may take a while to realise that there is actually a ring nestled on top of the flowers, almost as if it is a bee on a flower. The colour of the ring is very complementary to the flowers and blends in with its imagery of sweet-smelling flowers and being close to nature. With a white background, I imagine it is a challenge to shoot the white flowers and get their petals to be defined and sharp in its lines.

 

This editorial campaign places luxury bags behind frosted screens, as if they are being slowly being revealed on stage to the viewer. The matching colours of the bags and the frosted screens adds harmony and symmetry to the visual, while the luxury bags take on the personalities as hinted at by their respective taglines.

For this series, ‘A Scented Story’, Nori uses a silkscreen of sorts to give an overall romantic and wispy feel to the visual story. But the colours and shapes of the perfume bottles are not compromised at all; in fact, they are somewhat enhanced by making the viewer focus on what is lying behind that silkscreen. I really like the soft and glowy light used here, and how Nori shapes the lights to make the bottles sparkle without being too gaudy.

There is a very strong sense of symmetry and bold colours among these images for this shoes series. Nori has created an unique arrangement for each shoe shot, making them resemble images used usually for the Rorschach test in psychology. Using a white background again, this highlights the sleekness and sophistication of the shoes and provides much reflected light on the shoes’ materials. The symmetrical arrangement of the shoes also feels like it is enchanting the viewer to admire the shoes longer than they would initially.

All images copyright of Nori Inoguchi.

Adrian & Gidi

Adrian & Gidi is made up of the collaborative duo, Adrian Woods and Gidi van Maarseveen, who have known each other since their student days in the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague. Based in Netherlands, Amsterdam, this photography duo is very creative in their pursuit of “tangible still life and product photography and favour a playful and experimental approach towards work.” Their set designs and props used are quite elaborate and the materials they use can include paper art, paper craft, styrofoam, plexiglas, miniatures and wood. Even with their focus on set design and animation, they never lose sight of the message they want to communicate with their visually graphic photographs.

In this series for Air France, Adrian and Gidi uses the various props to evoke the feelings of a smooth, comfortable yet luxurious ride with the Air France airline. With just a silk sheet blowing in the air or a pair of hands cradling the plane, the concept behind the art direction is well-rounded and sophisticated. They didn’t see the need to photograph model air stewardesses in the interiors of airplanes, they simply used some handicraft materials and ingenuity to bring forth the message that Air France is your next airline to book.

To view the full set of images for this campaign, you can visit this.

For Clinique, Adrian & Gidi have personified the cosmetic products and placed them in different summer settings which would be familiar to their targeted audiences – sunbathing by the beach and pool, relaxing in the garden with a picnic. These set designs are more detailed in their handicraft and brings a 3-dimensional effect to the images. Even the nitty-gritty details in the water waves and splashes are not ignored by the duo. The overall theme of summer is very strongly brought out by the colours and imagery used and helps achieve the branding message that Clinique is the summer cosmetic brand to purchase and own.

To view the full set of images for this campaign, you can visit this.

To me, this photo for Converse’s faded shoes illustrates the commercial message of how an explosion of colours and life can come about from owning a pair of those Converse shoes. The colours, shapes and forms from that graphical prop blends well with the product and gives the photo a very stylish look as well. While the prop may look domineering in terms of visual space, it does lead the eye down to the product being advertised. With the white background and landing platform for the shoes, it lends a clean and minimalistic element to the photo as well.

To view the full set of images for this campaign, you can visit this.

With the theme of Valentine dates, Adrian and Gidi showcased different brands of perfume placed in different cityscapes and floral settings to stimulate the sense of anticipation and excitement of romance. While the set designs are the first to attract attention, the way the products are placed are also eye-catching – the positioning of the perfume bottles on the building near the Eiffel Tower, angling the product among the paper trees, tilting the bottle’s cap against it. This makes the images more dynamic in mood and not so stiff, as it would if it were just products plainly put among the different props.

To view the full set of images for this campaign, you can visit this.

For this photo shoot for KaDeWe, Adrian & Gidi have shot it flat-down, as they did with the Clinique product shoot. The theme is evidently summer set in the cityscape, with the different departmental store products personified as urban dwellers having a fun time with summer activities. Their whimsical style shines through in their art direction, letting the camera ‘take off its clothes’ to sunbathe, the ‘mummy’ wallet overseeing her ‘child’ wallet swim in the pool, the ‘crocodile’ shirts swimming in the lake. This series most certainly gives a different perspective to the everyday products we use, as if imbuing them with their individual personality.

To view the full set of images for this campaign, you can visit this.

Again, Adrian and Gidi made use of different analogies and imageries to advertise KLM as the airline with all the comforts and adventures you can find. Using plastic bubbles, beds and a rollercoaster track, they have created an branded image of KLM as fun, soothing and secure. I really admire how they have utilised only a few simply props to create a photo series that is playful yet effective in getting its commercial message across.

To view the full set of images for this campaign, you can visit this.

Shooting these design sets for Stylist magazine, Adrian & Gidi let the colour tones of the product lead on the shapes and colours of the prop sets. The bottles are highly stylised with the handcrafted props and give off, respectively, tropical sunny and very modern cosmopolitan vibes in their visuals. I like the shadow detailing in the first image, as if you really were in a tropical island with the sun-cast shadowns around. As for the second image, the cosmetic bottle is seen as if towering over the city blocks, giving protection with its ‘triangular’ renewal oil. These refreshing takes on products still-life photography give the images more of a storytelling background, which only draws more people in closer to engage with the visuals.

To view the full set of images for this campaign, you can visit this.

Photographing these jewellery for Vogue Gioiello, Adrian & Gidi took on the theme of “It’s in the air”. Using prop sets like the clouds and raindrops, kites and butterflies, the products are placed as if they are part of the design sets now. The colour aesthetics of the series goes well with the products’ colour tones and there is always an element of motion within all the images, as it should be with air and movement.

To view the full set of images for this campaign, you can visit this.

All images copyright of Adrian & Gidi.

Jenny Van Sommers

Jenny Van Sommers is a London-based photographer who does still-life and editorial photography work. Originally from Sydney, Australia, Van Sommers had previously failed in art school there before making waves in London’s photography scene. Her photographic style is very distinct in its graphic lines and art direction, which combines with a strong sense of quirkiness in her storytelling.

In this campaign for Anya Hindmarch, Van Sommers worked together with a set designer, Rachel Thomas, to create this extremely mesmerizing graphic theme to go along with the bold line of handbags. Inspired by classic games like chess, dominoes and backgammon, the painted cardboards act as a refreshing backdrop for the handbags. Instead of relying on the cliche of female models posing together with the handbags, Van Sommers and Thomas have created a very unique perspective of how consumer handbags can be played around with.

To view the full set of images and more information on this campaign, you can visit this and this.

This does not look like an easy image to photograph, what with the black-on-black visual. But Van Sommers has made this image look slick, sexy and mysterious, all while cheekily getting the client’s message across. While the actual product (Guinness beer) is not shown, the branded colour, black, is strongly emphasised and imprinted in the visual senses. With a clever tagline and a familiar symbol for parties, Van Sommers’ simplistic yet elegant photographic style is much to be admired. Technically, I am also in awe in how the black paint’s curves are defined so smoothly on the balloon.

To view the full set of images for this campaign, you can visit this.

For Hermes, Van Sommers is serious in her play with perspectives when presenting these rings. Dazzling yet confusing, perplexing yet insightful, these images show a very different side to these colourful rings, as if they are leading multiple lives with their mirror images. The composition is easy enough to set up, but it take a practised creative eye to recognise the possibilities of this (haha) eye-catching visual. The lines from the mirrored surfaces also add a surreal dimension to this photo, making you wonder which is exactly the real still-life object.

To view the full set of images for this campaign, you can visit this.

Once again, Van Sommers chooses not to show the actual product advertised, but uses other objects and props to get her point across simply. I love the creative art direction in this series and the sense of humour in her visual communication style. Her clean and minimalistic style provides much focus on the two main objects, e.g. the fan and the couch, the lighter and the burnt ceiling, the toaster and the bread in the ceiling. These images all tell a story that is strong in its creativity and imagination, making a powerful message for Peugeot.

To view the full set of images for this campaign, you can visit this.

What attracted me to this still-life image is the pastel colour palette and the strong lines and patterns from the lined-up perfume bottles. Using repetitive forms of the perfume bottles, Van Sommers has produced an aesthetic that is rather whimsical and graphical at the same time. The colours of the perfume bottles are also arranged in a very pleasing tone, mixing well the warm and cool colours. The lighting also lends well to producing reflections of each perfume bottle, giving a sense of symmetry to the image.

At first glance, you may think that Van Sommers is photographing candy sweets, when they are actually cosmetic products from Sephora. The candy colours and sweet-like packaging definitely appeals to the visual senses and it also adds a layer to the story Van Sommers is conveying – that these products can be played around with, just like the sweets of yesteryear in your childhood. In this case, she is letting the product itself (form, colour, packaging, etc.) work towards getting her visual message across to the viewer.

With colours reminiscent of the 70s’ groove and funk, Van Sommers is letting forms and lines take centrestage in these images. There is a great emphasis on graphical shapes and lines, which complement the product’s similar curves and textures. The bold lighting acts as a big contrast to the product’s plain black and white range and this opposition creates an interesting edge to the visual.

To view the full set of images for this campaign, you can visit this.

Van Sommers uses this simple idea of just using a beer’s bottle cap as the main focus of her storytelling and her execution is really quite brilliant. Together with a sharp tagline, the branding of the product as luxurious and expensive is also achieved. With this set of images, they may appear deceptively simple but once you look closer, the real truth is revealed. And I think that is one of the greatest strengths of Van Sommer’s still-life photos, making the audience always doing a double take and rethinking how they view through their own lenses.

To view the full set of images for this campaign, you can visit this.

All images copyright of Jenny Van Sommers.

Fabrice Fouillet

Fabrice Fouillet is a Parisian photographer who specialises in architectural and still life photography. He had previously studied Sociology and Ethnology in university and went on to pursue photography at The Gobelins School in Paris. His photographic works aim to “explore the notion of identity and the close relationship of men with their environment.” He also gained recognition for his series “Corpus Christi” which featured new places of worship and won the Sony Awards in the “Architecture” category.

I really admire Fouillet’s sense of aesthetic and his love of clean lines, which appeals to my love for order and structure. In this image, strong lines dominate while the yellow wall and the lady give somewhat of a pop or a break from the lines, making the overall visual more interesting. While it is mostly ambient lighting for the foreground, the background in this image is coincidentally framed by the clear sections of the door and lit by natural lighting. I think it is pretty clever of Fouillet to recognise this contrast and use it to demonstrate the building and its surrounding environment.

For me, the composition and lighting of this photo are really a marvel to look at – the towering building over the small lady, the well-placed elements of the lady and the checkered wall between the two trees. It gives off such a wintry and lonely vibe that you have to admire the clean aesthetics here. The slight pop of colour coming from the light red pavement and the wooden checkered wall also works well at capturing the audience’s attention. While the shadow on the top building may look hard, the overall tone of the building feels soft, light and contemporary.

This was probably taken by Fouillet looking up at the ceiling of a church and I think it’s amazing he has captured such details, even when the colours are mostly white and grey. The sense of symmetry is very strong here, especially with the curves and lines dominating the visual. The light in this photo looks rather flat, which lends well to having little shadows and emphasising the architectural lines of the ceiling. Viewed longer, this photo takes on an graphical likeness that is almost akin to abstract art.

Fouillet framed this photo such that the composition has the chairs and the lights (?) as the main elements. This strong focus on both subjects, together with the dominant whites, provide a visually appealing image, from the stark whites to the patterns of the arranged chairs. The white is so domineering here that the wall almost looks like a flat one, when actually there are more layers, as evidenced by the pipes and the shorter white wall on the left. I feel like there could be a hidden story here, filled with a sense of anticipation from the waiting chairs and a pseudo-curtain (?) yet to be drawn.

What grabbed my attention in this photo was the overwhelming size of the building’s architecture, almost swallowing whole the man in the middle. I think this image really brings out Fouillet’s theme of exploring how man and architecture relate to each other. The lines of the building are such a strong element in this visual and they provide somewhat of a leading albeit wavy line to the lone man. The ‘clean’ quality is visually everywhere – the lines of the building, the architectural outlines, the whites, the black attire of the lone man – that it is hard not to have a second look at this photo.

In this photo, I feel there is an otherworldly feel to it, making one wonder where exactly this was taken at. The white structures look both flat and dimensional at the same time, with the hill behind giving little clue to its location. Do people make their homes in them, or are they simply monuments to be admired only? The architectural lines work well with the walkway’s lines, providing symmetry and balance to the photo.

Fouillet plays with the light and shadows shrewdly here, making zig-zag lines with the cast shadow, as if to contrast them with the free form lines of the building and the lines along the walkway. The staggering size of the building is intimated by the mere size of the walking man in comparison. Again, Fouillet’s strong eye for lines and patterns shines through here to create a compelling image.

Another quality I like about Fouillet is how he makes the ordinary and mundane appear visually curious and intriguing. This photo is a good example of that – a corner of a building with the door in the hard shadow. His sense of composition also plays well here, making sure the area of the cast shadow is proportionate to the other lit areas. While the combination of lines – from the top of the image to the architectural form lines, from the lines of the shadow to the lines on the walkway – may seem rigid and unbending to some, I actually find it soothing to admire these lines and the beauty of its order.

All images copyright of Fabrice Fouillet.

Kevin Meredith aka Lomokev

Based in Brighton, UK, Kevin Meredith is a photographer I loved following on Flickr, just because his photos were full of colours, quirky perspectives and this raw edge of storytelling element. He is famous for shooting with toy cameras, especially the Lomo-LCA, and conducts many photography workshops that help keep the creative juices going. His series of photographs include highlighting the Brighton swimming club, montage portraits and Festival Wellies. He has also published 3 books – Hot Shots, 52 Photographic Projects and Toy Cameras. Commercially, he has worked with companies such as British Airways i360, American Express, Body Shop and the British Film Institute.

At first glance, you may think the photo has a girl in pink coat in the centre. But upon a closer inspection, you will see that it is just a pink coat draped onto a post. Meredith’s ability to spot the humour and quirkiness of a situation is what attracts me and keeps the viewer coming back for more. This was shot with a Lomo-LCA, so it gave a soft graininess  and soft light to the picture.

Meredith shot this photo from a low angle with a Lomo-LCA and captured the symmetry of the reflections in the water. This low-down angle also allows for natural leading lines from the buildings and the staircase, which adds a layer of visual appeal for the audience. I really like the mirror-like quality of this photo as it gives a great sense of tranquility and peace.

West Bay, Dorset

Another low-down shot from Meredith, I really like the how the red and blue colours pop against the brown background here. By capturing a shot of everyday life of this child with her balloon, it brings an element of childhood innocence and joy to the photo. Meredith also applied (consciously or unconsciously) the Rule of Thirds and placed his object along the lines of interest.

Once again, the combination of colours in this photo is so wonderful in commanding attention and the blurry motion lines give such dynamism as well. The contrast between the dark roads and the red coat only makes the photo visually stronger. From how the lady is placed and framed in the shot, a great sense of freedom and liberation can be felt – the wind in her hair while she is pedaling her bicycle.

Meredith shot this series of Wellies at the Sunday Times Festival and his portrayal gave such personality to these Wellies. Against a background of festival and strobe lights, this shot of these colourful Wellies really epitomises the carnival-like atmosphere at the festival. With those strong lights in the background, Meredith probably used another lighting source in the front or side to put the focus strongly on these Wellies.

Among Meredith’s photos of the Brighton Swimming Club, Dave Sawyers features quite prominently in his series. In this photo, a cheeky side to him is revealed, with his funny pose with the fish he had just caught. I like how he composed this photo, with the Brighton Pier behind Dave – this gives a sense of the location and history behind Dave’s pose.

In this photo, there is just this very orderly pattern of things I get, which appeals to me visually – from the bisecting lines of the pavement, the circles on the pavement and those neatly tied up shoes. For me, the colours and composition here are very strong and make me wonder about the story behind this girl – is she a traveller? Or is she on the way to school?

This photo is taken from his montage portraits series and this fragmented method gives a fresh look to how people can be portrayed. He was inspired to create this series after viewing Bernhard Winkler’s exhibition of portraits shot in a similar style. The composition is definitely a fun and interesting way to shoot portraits creatively. In this photo, I like how he has placed the lady in front of a simple blue wall, letting the contrast between the wall and her dress be dominant visually. Using mostly natural light, Meredith has managed to capture the lady’s personality and style with this montage.

All images copyright of Kevin Meredith.

Vivian Maier (1926-2009)

Vivian Maier was an American street photographer who has never shown her photographic work while she was alive and made her living as a live-in nanny instead. Born in New York City, she was raised mostly in France and came back to the USA in 1951 to work as a nanny. During her spare time, Vivian would consistently take photos of the streets and document the people, the times and the lives of New York City and Chicago. She was a curious traveller and photographed all over the world, including Los Angeles, Manila, Bangkok, Shanghai, Beijing, India, Syria, Egypt, and Italy.

Later, she fell on hard times and a storage unit of her undeveloped film negatives was sold off in an auction in 2007 to several buyers including John Maloof. From there, Maloof slowly shared her photographic  work on Flickr and people started noticing Maier’s strong and iconic photographic style. With this discovery, people wondered why Maier kept all of her photographs to herself and didn’t share it with close friends and family. This secretive and elusive nature of Maier was the impetus for Maloof’s Oscar-nominated documentary ‘Finding Vivian Maier’. In 2008, Maier fell on slippery ice and hit her head. She never recovered and passed away in 2009.

Undated

Maier had captured such a candid moment between two young girls, making the audience wonder exactly what the two friends were talking about. The dark wall background gives the photo a high contrast and also provides a textured feel to the picture. The light on the girls’ faces seems to be rather soft, with little signs of hard shadows around them. The arms around her friend’s shoulder, the wind blowing in her hair and the eye contact between the two girls made this intimate portrait of friendship more meaningful to me.

Undated

I am most attracted to this photograph by its strong lines and shadows of the pillars. Maier’s eye was superb in catching the pattern of lines and shadows, and she must have seen that adding in the reflection of the lady in the window would only make this a more appealing visual. I also like how the arch at the end acts as a nice frame for the shop signage, as if leading your eye to further explore beyond this passageway.

Undated, New York, NY

This is perhaps my favourite photo from Maier, as it has a great combination of composition, angle, light and subject matter. From the angle, it looks like Maier snapped this while seated in a bus in front of the New York Public Library. Her eye for seeking the extraordinary shines through here, getting the side view of this elegant lady while other people pass by behind her. The light on the lady brings her to a sharper focus than the rest, which lends a sense of sophistication juxtaposed with a level of edginess to the composition.

September 1953, New York, NY

Maier was known to visit streets and neighbourhoods which were relatively unsavoury, and also shared empathy with the downtrodden in society due to her family background. In this photograph, a homeless man is seen curling up in abject hopelessness, hiding his face away from people and society. The form of the man is both tragic and beautiful at the same time, with his curves and lines portraying the realism of homelessness.

October 31, 1954. New York, NY

From research done on Maier’s family history, it was surmised that Maier had an affinity for elder women, as she was often taken care of by female guardians. This photograph can be seen as strong proof of that assumption, with a row of genteel ladies wearing hats and heels and standing in the sun. The light has cast strong shadows of the ladies, adding a rather dramatic feel to the photo. The diagonal slash of light / shadow may seem off-kilter to some, but I feel it provides a whimsical kind of balance to the photo. The wall also has its leading lines, letting us observe each lady in her own turn. In some ways, this photo reminds me of Fan Ho’s Approaching Shadow.

January 9, 1957, Florida

What first struck me about this photo was its dreamy atmosphere, as evoked by the white dress and vintage car. While Maier did not focus the overall photo, the blurriness seems to emphasise the experience of a night out in Florida – the dark streets, bright street lights and a girl in a white dress perhaps looking for an adventure. The overexposure on this photo works well for the theme and provides a most visceral feel for the audience.

September 18, 1962

When I first saw this photo, I barely glanced at this snapshot but somehow, it lured me back in for a second and third look. Maier was canny enough to shoot this from a low angle, focusing on the legs of a child and her mother. This provides a layer of mystery and intrigue over what they were doing or looking at when this moment was captured. Was it taken in a department store, a food market or a bank? The inclusion of the child’s hand holding onto her mother’s skirt is also a sweet addition, showing the dependence of the child on her parent. Maier’s eye must have also caught the colour contrast of their clothes, and placed them as such for the composition to achieve symmetry and balance.

1963. Chicago, IL

In this photo, I love how Maier has captured the spirit of the street and its shops within the reflection of the lit signboards in the long puddle of water. The bright lights, the wet pavement and the parked cars may seem ordinary but Maier’s perspective – making the reflection part of the focus – is genius in making the mundane exciting. I would like to think that Maier purposely shot this street empty of people, in order to capture the loneliness of the city while shops and businesses are advertising ways to occupy your time, money and emotions.

All images copyright of Vivian Maier / Taken from www.vivianmaier.com

Michael Yamashita (1949 – )

Michael Yamashita is a National Geographic photographer with over 30 years of experience with them. While his photographic area of specialty is Asia, he has travelled the world in documenting landscapes, cultures and people. Yamashita’s photographic projects also specialise in retracing the paths of famous travellers, resulting in visual stories of Marco Polo, the Japanese poet Basho and the Chinese explorer Zheng He.

In this photo, we can see the focus is on the Beijing Opera actress doing her make-up and the powder motes are captured falling gracefully from her face. I love that this was shot with a black background to give the actress’s action more focus, bringing the element of intention stronger to the fore.

Another strong photograph using black as the background and the focus is placed on the hands and the bonsai plant. Yamashita also made sure that the light cast the right amount of shadow on the hands to make the photo more interesting. I also admire how the black background almost makes it seem as if the pair of hands were coming out from under a black backdrop, and not that they were coming out from the sleeves of a black shirt.

The soft morning light gives a very dreamy atmospheric feel to this photograph taken in Matsumoto, Japan. The red bridge provides the leading lines to the castle and foliage, while balance and symmetry is achieved with the reflections of the castle and tree in the lake. The red from the bridge also contrasts harmoniously with the soft purple from the morning light.

This photo shows the breathtaking immensity and beauty of the sand dunes, and how incomparable man truly is when placed in Mother Nature. The light and shadows create a wonderful texture on the sand dunes, as if they were made of silk. The men riding the camels give a focal point to the photo and also act as silhouettes.

In this photo, it is filled with market activity buzz – you can hear the flower sellers hawking their flowers and the smell of the market. The bright colours of the flowers and the traditional hats dominate this photo and a sense of tradition is strong within this visual story. I also like how the row of flowers act as a leading line down to the vanishing point among the different flower stalls. While some may see the hand on the left as a distraction, I quite like the addition and the position of the hand – it gives another level of texture with its wrinkly skin and bangle.

I like how Yamashita depicted the snowy Norway mountains with a blue light that portrays its coldness and peacefulness perfectly. With that strip of white light highlighting that row of trees, it gives the photo an interesting contrast and a greater visual depth.

For this photo, Yamashita used a sepia light tone to silhouette the temple spires of Bagan, giving it a very serene and peaceful feel to it. Yamashita probably took this photo from a very high angle, using the morning or sunset light to outline the shapes of the temple spires.

All images copyright of Michael Yamashita.

Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908 – 2004)

Undoubtedly the godfather of street photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson is one of my favourite photographers and his photos have such a strong element of storytelling with his use of light and shadows. Below are a selection of his works that have definitely struck a chord with me.

GREECE. Cyclades. Island of Siphnos. 1961.

I love the contrast between the shadows and the lighting in this photo, and how the steps at the top and the shadows flow in different directions. Getting the shadows to almost cover the worn out steps in the foreground is very clever of Cartier-Bresson, giving a sense of symmetry to the visual.

FRANCE. Paris. Place de l’Europe. Gare Saint Lazare. 1932.

Perhaps one of his most famous photograph (to me, at least), the power of reflections and light come into play here. Putting the background in a darker shade, Cartier-Bresson places more emphasis to the foreground of reflective water. Reflections and ripples in the water are captured almost perfectly in this light, with an added dynamic movement from the man in the air.

FRANCE. The Var department. Hyères. 1932.

While there are no obvious shadows here to contrast with the outdoor lighting, Cartier-Bresson recognised the different tones and shades of the steps, the railings and the cobblestone path. I’d like to think he used this knowledge to play with the lighting tone of the photo and when the cyclist in dark clothes came along, his visual instincts took over and this work was produced.

BELGIUM. Brussels. 1932.

In this photo, I like how the moustached man is placed as the focus, with strong lighting on his facial expression, especially in comparison with the other man. For the latter, there seems to be a softer, more muted lighting on his face, as if it is to be associated with the secrecy of the clandestine action of the man – peeking through a barrier.

FRANCE. Marseille. The Allée du Prado. 1932. I was walking behind this man when all of a sudden he turned around.

From the trees’ reflections and the umbrella that the man was holding, one can assume it was a rainy day when this photo was taken. Cartier-Bresson used the soft outdoor lighting to contrast with the man’s dark full-length coat and bowler hat, as well as the tall, craggy trees in the background. The sky seems overexposed but this only highlights the tree branches and its cragginess.

SPAIN. Andalucia. Seville. 1933.

With the hard shadows, this photo looks to be taken during a hot afternoon. The angular shadows greatly lend a geometric shape to the light in this photo, which can also be seen as acting as leading lines. With the two boys in the shade, it adds a layer of visual storytelling – were they hiding from the strong afternoon heat? Or were they playing hide-and-seek with friends?

ITALY. Tuscany. Sienna. 1933. “I was visiting the museum and happened to look out of an upstairs window, and saw this empty marketplace, stark in its lack of activity.”

I think Cartier-Bresson made good use of space and lighting in this photo to convey emptiness in an usually crowded marketplace. The looming shadow on the right balances well with the sunlit area on the left. The smaller shadows of the two people also give a stark contrast to the enormous shadows cast by the museum.

CHINA. Beijing. December 1948. Final days of the Kuomintang. A peasant, whose market has closed down and came to Beijing to sell his vegetables, sits to eat his provisions. A shopkeeper resigns to have nothing more to sell in his store.

Looking at how the light falls on the faces of the peasant and the shopkeeper, it is easy to say Cartier-Bresson has mastered the craft of lighting in his photos. While the peasant is obviously in plain sight, it seems that the shopkeeper is shrouded in the dark (both the shade and his dark clothes) and you’ll only really notice him with the leading lines provided by the criss-crossing shadows. This intricate pattern of shadows criss-crossing the shophouse can be then said to give another level of texture to an otherwise plain scenario.

SPAIN. Madrid. 1933.

In this photo, Cartier-Bresson chose this wonderful wall with a rather eccentric pattern of windows as a bright background, and a group of hodge-podge people as the focus in the foreground. He made sure that every element in this photo was well-lit; presumably, the sun was at his side or his back, judging from the shadow in the right.

Not only is there a contrast between the bright background and the group of people with different tones, there is also a contrast among the people themselves, both literally and metaphorically. The children on the right are wearing mostly light-coloured clothes, while majority of the people was in dark clothes. The child-like infectious playing mood in the fore constrasts greatly with the very adult, mature tone with the man in the back.  To me, this shows that Cartier-Bresson’s ability to capture light, shadows and tone is truly remarkable.

All images copyright of Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos.