EDITORS’ PICK
The Rediscovery Process
URBAN LIFE
URBAN LIFE EDITORS’ PICK
Following Angela Connor’s selection of winning images for our recent Urban Life competition, this compilation of 20 images represents some of the other talented photographers whose work struck us and left a mark. Each a stunning image worthy of exposure and attention…
When selecting for editor’s picks we’re always searching for those striking photographs that make for an unforgettable single image, whether from a broader series or not. We enjoy the accompanying text some photographers submit with their images, and while not always necessary it can be relevant when understanding the work in full context.
These are intended to be a conversation starter… so feel free to join the discussion on our social networks.
BANNER IMAGE: ANNA BIRET
What an interesting perspective! The viewer feels like they follow the main character through the maze of buildings. It’s a complex composition with multiple levels of meaning but also with a sense of playfulness and serenity. The reduced color palette and the mix-and-match of textures provide a cinematic effect, so hard to achieve in a candid shot. How funny that the photographer has also been able to capture the location – Japan – in the top right corner of the frame. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Tokyo, Japan, 2024. I make candid street photos, simplifying the chaotic mess of life with a sense of beauty, to bring out some mystery and order.
TUNA ANGEL
Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that before living in the metropolises of today, people used to have a slower and more serene existence. The photographer captures a juxtaposition of lifestyles and enhances it through the use of black and white. The conceptual contrast is enriched by the contrast in shapes. The natural topology contrasts the rectangular buildings. The wood gatherer contrasts the heavily urbanized area. A single image speaks to a history of centuries. – LIFE FRAMER
THOMAS MYHRE
An urban story may be seen through a steamed window if the photographer is patient enough and skilled enough. The unexpected focal point on the hand of a hidden character is food for thought. Furthermore, the entire photograph resembles a classic painting. Rich with mystery and artistry, this photograph makes the viewer seek clues in every shadow, droplet, and stroke of golden light. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Hand and glass, Olso, Norway.
CAMERON ROSS
A magnificent use of natural light! This double anti-portrait tells a romantic and touching story. Enhanced by the use of the black and white aesthetic, this cinematic scene can successfully act as the beginning or end of a movie in which the city in the background plays a major role in the couple’s life. While obviously a candid shot, the photograph proves the importance of photography in documenting humankind’s stories. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Bridge Walk, Melbourne, Australia.
SEBASTIAN SZCZEPANOWSKI
By capturing a social gathering, the photographer shows us what our lives look like from an outsider’s perspective. The viewer perceives the urgency infused in every single action, the dizziness that surrounds us, the inexplicable movements we have to make. We have become incapable of standing still and enjoying ourselves even though we look for entertainment more than ever. This is a wonderful composition, where people fill every conceivable part of the frame. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Festival Rush, crowd during break in screening, New Horizons Cinema Festival 2024, Wroclaw, Poland.
GAVIN LIBOTTE
The graphic composition showcases the photographer’s unique style, attention to detail, and eye for geometric features. Although it includes a lot of lines, patterns, and angles, it remains artistic, elegant, and well-balanced. The play on proportions and colors makes the image quintessentially urban, almost industrial, but also joyful and friendly. It has a story to tell, and the viewer can’t help engaging. – LIFE FRAMER
YVES LACROIX
The street remains a place for encounters even in times of war. It’s a powerful and emotional message beautifully illustrated in this simple composition, with warm light and young people lost in thought. No one knows what the future will bring. But there is always room for hope and kindness. And this is exactly what the viewer takes from this shot: hope and kindness. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – With this body of work I wanted to create a series of portraits based on encounters. Encounters with people, encounters with places. To establish a portrait of Ukrainian society, to understand what it means to be a soldier or to be 16 years old in Donbas or 5 years old in Kharkiv. ‘When our paths cross’ thus paints a portrait of a Ukraine breathless after nearly 3 years of war. Is there still hope? What are people expectations? Can one recover from such a conflict? It aims to depict the daily lives of these children, women, and men whose lives have all been disrupted by the war.
AMAR CHUNDAVADRA
We live in urban communities larger than ever and are more alone and isolated than we’ve ever been. It’s a sad reality and the focus of this beautiful black and white shot. The contrast between the bright background and the dark silhouette accentuates the message and puts it in perspective. The outside is bright and dynamic. The inside is dark and lonely. The camera position is well-chosen and balances the composition perfectly. This might look like a still from a science fiction drama, but the future has arrived. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Urban Solitude explores the paradoxical nature of modern city life, where millions coexist yet often experience profound moments of isolation. Through stark black and white imagery, this series captures the interplay between human figures and urban architecture, highlighting how individuals navigate spaces designed for masses. The work examines the quiet moments of reflection and personal discovery that exist within the bustling metropolis, revealing both the alienation and wonder of contemporary urban existence.
Image – Celestial Rain. A solitary figure in silhouette stands contemplating a dramatic display of streaming lights, suggesting the overwhelming nature of urban stimulation and the search for meaning within the city’s chaos.
ANDREA TORREI
One can capture the heart of the city by looking at its workers. This environmental portrait of a solitary commuter creates an image most of us can relate to. We are mostly alone with our thoughts even though we live in large communities. And we hardly take time to notice anyone else. By creating a connection between the subject and viewer, the photographer masters the art of storytelling, and this is what photography is all about. It’s a simple portrait that unveils layers of drama and culture the longer you engage with it. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – At dawn. At the train station, a lone commuter is ready to start a new day. Yangon, Myanmar 2018.
MICHAEL SCHIFFHORST
Sometimes, the city grows at the expense of harmony. But sometimes, everything falls into place just right. The photographer found the perfect camera angle to emphasize the difference between old and new architecture. By giving away color, the photographer puts geometry in focus and allows contrast to take the scene. It’s an artful photograph, well-proportioned, and inspiring. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Untitled (Cologne, Germany, 2011).
OLIVIER CAUNE
An artful photograph depicting night in the city, this image denotes a clear artistic voice and sensitivity. With a painting-like color palette and a misty vantage point, the image lures the viewer in. One can feel the chilled air of an empty street at night, the blessing of the streetlight, and the calm of the lonely walker. From this point on, it becomes very hard to look away because you really want to know what happens next. – LIFE FRAMER
INGE COLIJN
All large cities are a combination of old and new, tradition and modernity, rich and poor. It’s part of their becoming and of their truth. This photograph overlays the two worlds, making the reality behind what we choose to see the main focal point. The growing wealth divide laid bare. It’s a testimony of good documentary photography – artistic sensitivity, and empathy. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Old and new, Mumbai, India.
EVAN MCDONALD
Cityscapes are splendid ways to depict a city. By beautifully capturing the night lights, the photographer exposes the glow of the city, its halo that brightens the night. But this is not an ordinary cityscape. A solitary observer constitutes a strong focal point, made to stand out by a cleverly used leading line. The image denotes exceptional composition skills and an eye for capturing the moment, as well as the dramatic acts of adventure and escapism some of us choose. It’s a thrilling shot in more than one way. – LIFE FRAMER
BARRY CROSTHWAITE
The photographer tells a profound story by capturing a family selling colorful balloons in a busy market. It’s the contrast between their social status and cheerful activity that touches the viewer’s heart, but also the sensitive approach of the photographer. The composition is constructed in layers, inviting the viewer to go from one to another, exploring the seen and unseen aspects of this family’s life. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Family Business, Jodhpur, India.
PIETRO ANSALDI
Living in the city means adapting to skyscrapers, neon lights, and sleepless nights, too. The photographer infuses the image with more than one meaning, as is usually the case with urban life. We are part of a large community but also alone, impressed by modern architecture but also overwhelmed, lucky to live in a big city but still yearning for nature. The human silhouette is the only natural element in this frame, which makes it the powerful central point of the composition. A thoughtful representation of less is more. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Urban connection, Shenzhen, 2023. I am an Italian photographer based in China, often traveling for work, and have had a chance to discover amazing urban landscape and urban life in many cities in China. This image represent how small we could feel in front of the infinite construction of skyscrapers, but at the same time we feel part of it. It was taken in my service apartment room in Shenzhen on the 20th floor, where I could see the Shenzhen bay and the architectural landscape next to it.
PEKKA VÄLITALO
Although the environment is warmed by golden sunlight, the main message conveyed here is solitude, a reality most city inhabitants experience at some point. In this case, solitude is peaceful and mindful, with an open perspective, and leading towards a future filled with home. It’s the warm light and the convergent leading lines that make this message clear and give the mood of the picture. An artful and skilful use of composition in the service of storytelling. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Unclear Future. My images represent everyday life in Helsinki, Finland. I feel that the quiet mind and essence of Finnish peoples loneliness come true in these pictures.
GLENN HOMANN
Urban life is about people, but a photograph doesn’t have to include people to represent them. This photograph uses mundane objects to tell the tales of the city and does it very well. The composition is well-balanced, graphical, and fun. It seems like a cartoon scene in which an orange cone befriends a striped pole, while an old blue door is watching on. That’s the magic of photography. All it takes to tell a fascinating story is the creativity of the photographer. – LIFE FRAMER
DAVID DRANOFF
The photographer honours a rare encounter: a white horse in the middle of the town. The black and white aesthetic flatters the subject, creating the dramatic contrast this scene needs. It’s a series of contrasts and almost hard-to-believe revelations, but that’s exactly what photography does best. It captures the awareness of a moment. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – What Are You Looking At? Shot on 35mm Ilford HP5 using a Leica Summicron 35mm lens. This scene is took place in North Philadelphia, outside of the world famous “Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club”. The stark contrast of the pristine white horse in a cityscape almost looks like collage. What’s he doing there? Living his life, minding his business. That’s usually an important thing to remember to respect, even as a photographer.
GIEDO VAN DER ZWAN
Every city has a multitude of layers, and this photograph manages to capture many of them. There are ads, people, street signs, cars, buildings, and the blue sky. This eclectic mix makes the city a vibrant place, a combination of energies, colors, and attitudes. The photographer found the ideal camera angle and framing to put everything together and say what a thousand words can say with one image. – LIFE FRAMER
ENIKO BARNA
By joining old and new, traditional and modern, religious and commercial, the photographer creates a powerful metaphor for urban life. Cities pack the history of the past and the expectations of the future in a fugitive present moment. The low camera angle puts everything in perspective, leaving room for thought. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Shanghai, China, 2024.
