soho stroll
Soho, New York City, USA
soho stroll happened in the trendy New York neighborhood of SoHo, located South of Houston Street (hence the name) and north of Canal Street, architecturally characterized by the typical cast iron facades. For this SoHo is also called the Cast-Iron District.
The passer-by on the opposite side of the street seems to have walked right out of a Mafia movie: the villain on a casual afternoon stroll. His clothes, the bonnet, his moustache, the baggy pants, his body language - everything evokes a movie scene, recognizable against the cast-iron backdrop of SoHo. Or is it rather a resident artist, a wealthy Bohemian on the way to the trendy coffee parlor around the corner? New York tells a lot of stories.
The picture shows only a few graphic elements: the figure itself, the cobbled street, the edge of the sidewalk and the partially illuminated, mostly in the shade staircase railings. These few elements communicate with opposite lines to create an exciting composition. The lighting of the late afternoon sun reinforces its effect, especially the presence of our Bohemian and its striking shadow, which matches perfectly with the reduced graphic. The colour graphics also fit well: blue and some white highlights add a fine tune to the dominant street-grey and black background.
eyes closer
Estoril, Portugal
eyes closer happened on the Paredao - the coastal promenade - of Estoril, Portugal. An habitué is on his morning stroll along the sea, certainly enjoying the fresh sea brise and the morning sun. His eyes seem not yet fully accustomed, apparently in need of some wake up.
The picture is rather unspectacular at first sight but particularly captive at a closer look. Our eyes find pleasure at resting on the contempative atmosphere, imagining the fresh, yet already warm morning temperatures, the smell of the sea, the taste of the cortado in the nearby waterfront café. We detect the fine graphics reflected in the jacket and the trousers of our protagonist, his slow movement dynamics and the walking stick well pointed forward to meet the vertical lines of the balustrade. We wonder where he might head to next.
The reduced, warm colours are a nostalgic reminiscence to former more galmourous days of the Portugese Golden Coast - days when our protagonist probably spent his days rather on the surfboard, evenings in the Casino, mornings in bed. Today Estoril is more of a retreat for elderly, still a very enjoyable place to be.
nene bobo
Estoril, Portugal
nene bobo happened at the formidable Hotel Palácio in Estoril, Portugal on the occasion of a formal reception to some private event in the hotel.
Nene Bobo is a young apprentice of Palácio in her first year. Her task this afternoon is to offer a glass of champagne to welcome the guests. It's a classic scenery: some VIPs or wannabees arrive in high spirits, snap a glass to raise to their peers, celebrating themselves for being here and seen. The young servant quietly stands aside, hardly noticed by anyone, dressed properly in her nice, clean, white uniform. Nene Bobo however is special: her appearance irradiates such grace and modesty that she possibly adds more touch to the venue than some of the invitees. Caught in a brief moment of inner focus, she seems to be all with herself, perfectly conscious of her role and ready to perform. Cheers to you, Nene!
cliché azur
Antibes, France
chliché azur happened in Antibes, France, near the central marketplace. Our protagonist is taking a break from his morning routine in the local boulangerie. Even though his outfit is rather one of a professional boulanger, he immediately evokes all clichés of a frenchman from Côte d'Azur: moustache, bonnet (which isn't one), mediterranen appearance. The baguettes he probably produced this morning can almost be smelled. In earlier days he would most certainly have had a Gauloise hanging in the corner of his mouth. Or a glass of Rouge at his lips.
Another cliché azur is the deep blue - azur - colour of the door our protagonist is leaning on. As it appears, it reminds of french artist Yves Klein. Born in Nice, just next to Antibes, he became one of the most important representatives of Nouveau Réalisme in France. He is known particularly for his monochrome blue paintings, for which he created his own "International Klein Blue" colour. Our protagonist certainly adds life and a warm touch to his azur background.
hallo green
Georgetown, Washington DC, USA
hallo green happened in the residential neighbourhood of the famous Georgetown University in Washington DC, photographed through the window of a living room.
An elderly lady puts finishing touches on her decorations for upcoming Halloween. This year, she features a doll figure, frozen in shock with a wide-open mouth and wide-open eyes, presumably in a panic over a scary monster that never appeared. The lady herself, appears completely relaxed, wearing a rustic, beige-green straw hat, lost in thought and highly concentrated on positioning her doll figure - perhaps expecting neighborhood kids or her own grandchildren who eagerly await grandma's friendly horror show?
curves ahead
Amalfi Coast, Italy
curves ahead happened on the Amalfi Coast, on the way to Positano - pure Dolce Vita cliché: the winding coastal road ahead, the sea to the right, traveling in a Fiat Cinquecento. In sunshine, of course. What more do you need for the good life?
The experienced traveler, of course knows that the Amalfi Coast today often presents a very different picture: buses full of tourists, either blocking the narrow coastal road or dropping off their passengers in front of the numerous pizzerias, ice cream parlors, or souvenir shops. Little is still authentic on this coast, much is overpriced, overcrowded, overinstagrammed. The feeling for Dolce Vita can easily go awry.
curves ahead is technically inadequate: the contrasts are overdrawn, the colors distorted, the car not sharply defined. Nevertheless, or precisely because of this, the viewer might experience the feeling that gripped the photographer at this spot, at this moment: actually very beautiful here, but something is a bit weird.