EDITORS’ PICK
Infinite Night
NIGHT LIFE
Night Life Editors’ Pick
“The night stared me in the face, amorphous, blind, infinite, without frontiers.” – Stanisław Lem
Following Marion Tandé’s selection of winning images for our NIGHT LIFE theme, this compilation of 20 images, selected by the Life Framer editors represents some of the other talented photographers whose work struck us and left a mark. Each a stunning image worthy of exposure and attention…
These are intended to be a conversation starter… so feel free to join the discussion on our social networks.
Banner image courtesy of Mischa Keijser from his series Protoporphyria.
www.mischakeijser.com and Instagram: @mischakeijser
Editor’s comment: “Two world collide – one packed with color, detail and life, and the other a dark, faceless abyss. Mischa’s image is half comforting, half frightening, and that dichotomy, that friction, is where the magic lies.”
Image and text courtesy of Miltiadis Igglezos.
“Postcard from my favorite trip.”
Instagram: @miltiadis_igglezos
Editor’s comment: “Here the blank screen almost beckons for us to create the story of our own night life upon it. Simple, clear composition with nothing to distract from where the viewer’s eye would naturally go.”
Image courtesy of Eric Thompson.
Editor’s comment: “A scene quite indicative of the modern night life of children. Excellent detail, a wonderful composition and kudos to mastering the light in such challenging conditions.”
Image and text courtesy of Marcin Kornacki.
“These images are from an ongoing project to document how night shines a light on what many cities are becoming – touching on themes of loneliness overpopulation and division.”
Editor’s comment: “Excellent lines, leading and otherwise, Marcin’s cropped framing emphasizes the busyness of the composition. There’s also beautiful work with the blue-orange color scheme – those tiny pockets of light hinting at a humanity within this harsh, cold grid of steel.”
Image and text courtesy of Miriam Fodge from her series Somnolence.
“Insomnia is a state I have no memory of living without. The night is a place that has become known to me like an old acquaintance. I want to look at the process of being awake, when the mind wanders, especially during the small hours of the morning, just between night and the dawn of a new day. It is a special time that almost has its own sound, invokes a feeling of somnolence. I invite the viewer into my sleepless time bubble that I am in. Maybe it will feel familiar. While insomnia might sound strenuous (which it can be) I am interested in exploring the other side of this state that is not terror. I have spent many peaceful hours, sometimes content, sometimes indifferent, creative or productive and wonder if it is not such a bad thing after all.”
Instagram @miriamssi
Editor’s comment: “Beautifully lit in the available light, and creatively framed – unusual, but not awkward – Miriam’s image evokes the feelings of a dreamstate – the familiar becoming fractionally twisted, taking on a strange and unexpected clarity. She elegantly captures and shares that feeling of a nighttime insomnia-driven wandering.”
Image and text courtesy of Adam Kuehl.
“A frigid night in Seoul found me seeking refuge from the snow under a bridge along the Cheonggyecheon Stream.”
www.adamkuehl.com and Instagram: @adamkuehlphotography
Editor’s comment: “Phenomenal use of color and texture. The contrast between the angled stone and the smooth fluidity of the reflections on the water is especially appealing – liquid neon that feels sensual and alluring.”
Image and text courtesy of Joel Benguigui from his series Goodnight Stories.
“This is an ongoing project where I document my winter night walks and encounters in Antwerp.”
www.joelbenguigui.com and Instagram: @storiesofff
Editor’s comment: “A creative take on an age-old part of night life, the raw execution here brings out the feeling and mood of the image rather than distracting from it. Well done.”
Image courtesy of Todd Kennedy.
Editor’s comment: “Beautiful contrast of light and shadow. The discrepancy between the directional lighting on the subject and the background “star” make this image especially interesting. It feels monolithic and monumental.”
Image courtesy of Lukasz Gasiorowski.
www.lukaszgasiorowski.com and Instagram: @lukasz.gasiorowski
Editor’s comment: “An interesting selective focus bringing out the ribs (and implied starvation) more than the head. This image feels challenging and troubling, and definitely making a statement.”
Image and text courtesy of Jérôme Favre.
“This image were taken at night in the streets of Southeast London. The idea was to create an eerie atmosphere using the light and colours from a lit window in a deserted wintry street.”
www.jeromefavrephotography.com and Instagram: @jeromefavre
Editor’s comment: “A sweet, momentary glimpse inside someone else’s life. An excellent eye for where the ordinary can become extraordinary.”
Image and text courtesy of Rob Padley.
“My goal for this series is to produce a set of images that show a consistent compositional theme in order to invite scrutiny upon overlooked neglected environments. By highlighting the similarities of the locations I wish to emphasise the differences.”
www.robpadley.com and Instagram: @robpadleyphotography
Editor’s comment: “A fantastic image on so many levels. From the clean lines and colors, to the emptiness that speaks volumes, to the Orwellian theme complete with surveillance camera – the longer you look at this photo the more you see.”
Image and text courtesy of Dan Giannopoulos.
“Armed Police patrol an MS-13 controlled neighborhood in San Salvador, El Salvador.”
www.gianphotography.com and Instagram: @dan_gian
Editor’s comment: “A fascinating image that leads one to wonder just where in the world this “night life” is occurring. The bokeh lends one to believe that there’s motion, and creates a soft, magical quality that juxtaposes with the harshness of the gun and the uniform in a fabulous way.”
Image courtesy of Koyanagi.
Instagram: @sketchyfriend
Editor’s comment: “Soft and ethereal, Koyanagi captures a wonderful fluidity of color and motion, our view of which feels priveledged from this distant vantage point.”
Image courtesy of Guilherme Marcondes.
www.guimarcondes.com and Instagram: @gui_mm
Editor’s comment: “Stunning use of black and white, framing this figure against an empty nothingness. The motion blur here is especially beautiful, creating something fragile and ghostly.”
Image courtesy of Diana Berrent.
www.dianaberrent.com and Instagram: @dberrentphoto
Editor’s comments: “Here the bright colors and candlelight really highlight the subject. Also, the selective focus leads the eyes through the image in interesting ways.”
Image courtesy of Caleb Stein.
“A bride walks in the street in Hanoi. From an ongoing series on the descendants of Agent Orange and the post-war social landscape of Vietnam.”
www.caleb-stein.squarespace.com and Instagram: @cjbstein
Editor’s comments: “A haunting image that makes one wonder if the bride is an agent of good or evil. Excellent storytelling.”
Image and text courtesy of Mars and Sham from their series Weather the Storm.
“As if it weren’t enough my steps sink into the snow, the icy wind pushes me back, it’s cold. It seeps down my neck, this night has no mercy for me. I want to get home. I sweated all day. I struggled. I worked. I poured coffee over a customer. I quarreled with the boss, my mother’s neurotic, and I can’t change her situation. How far to go? Will this day ever end? Just get me home.”
www.marshamstreet.com and Instagram: @marsandsham
Editor’s comments: “Definitely apropos to the theme. From the tea shop in the background to the traffic light and the snow, everything here leads one into a moment of the subject’s life, and their tired, weary expression. Excellent detail.”
Image courtesy of Stephanie Foden.
www.stephaniefoden.com and Instagram: @stephaniefoden
Editor’s comments: “Surreal and mysterious, this could almost be a scene from a movie. There’s an interesting choice of color grading with the red set next to the orange, which acts to create an unexpected feel to the shot.”
Image and text courtesy of Oskar Alvarado from his series Insomnia.
“This series explores my personal experience with insomnia, where biological interruption of nocturnal sleep ritual gives way to a new territory of confluences. The moment in which consciousness and unconsciousness meet, where reality and fiction blur boundaries and coexist in the mind in a recreation of two parallel worlds that conform our identity.”
www.oskaralvarado.com and Instagram: @oskaralvarado.photography
Editor’s comments: “A bit of the flavour of the “Theatre of the Absurd,” this image poses more questions than answers. Excellent use of the orange-blue color dichotomy.”
Image and text courtesy of Isabella Borrelli from her series Over the Bridge.
“Over the bridge is a work about Garbatella, a hystorical area of Rome. What has long been in fact a historic suburb – since the illegal artist blue redesigned literally whole blocks with the pop art of monsters, loneliness, irony, reflections and icons – has become the home of artists and new sounds in the land of breweries and experimental chefs. Similarly the area began to be populated by a new tribe – the streets are filled with men and women dressed in second-hand clothing, vintage items illuminated by the cold light of hi-tech devices, armed with selfie-sticks for shamanic rituals of their aggregation.”
www.isabellaborrelli.com and Instagram: @isabella_borrelli
Editor’s comments: “An interesting take on the theme, the contrast and composition of this image provide a great background to the story behind the idea of “night life”.”
