My 10 favorite Black and White Street Photographs
As many already know I switched to color and and I'm not going to change my mind. I was asked to choose my favorite street photos ever made and I decided to share it here with you.
Please note: the photos are numbered but not in order of importance. The titles are for indicative purposes only.
Urban Cowboy (2010)
The Urban Cowboy was in a way the opener of my experience in Mexico as a photographer. An image that reflects all the surreal nature of this country and that allowed me to introduce myself as a street photographer. This photograph is like a statement to me: OK, I am a Street Photographer and I am in Mexico.
2. Policemen (2010)
Oh, I love this picture because it expresses exactly what a street photo often is: a detail that marks the difference between a photo that has something to say and that otherwise would be completely irrelevant and forgettable.
3. Girls (2011)
I can remember that I was just back from Los Angeles, California and I decided to go in Mexico City downtown to make some street photographs using the flash. Maybe someone could think this is a staged photo but is not. I never stage photos when it comes to Street Photography. I like how graphic is this shot. It has something surreal that makes it still interesting to me and in a certain sense it is a foreboding shot of things that will come in my career shortly thereafter.
4. Reflection Man (2011)
Is it a cliche to photograph showcase reflections? Yes, and yet I think we can make interesting images. In this case I love the dramatic that I managed to capture in this shot. I think the composition is perfectly balanced because the people on the reflection work well.
5. You Are Here (2011)
Probably my best known photo, made in Los Angeles, California. In many ways this photo represents what street photography is for me.
6. The Gentleman (2015)
There is a difference between simple photos of people passing by and a shot like this. The old time aesthetic achieved through this photo is what I love the most.
7. Desire (2015)
I managed to create a juxtaposition that reveals the theme of the image. I like the fact that there is an elderly lady and I think that if there had been a younger woman instead of her, the shot would have been much more banal. Desire and pleasure are expressed here with varying levels of reading. A very successful street photograph, in my opinion.
8. Node (2015)
A photo full of symbols, where the couples are diametrically opposed and their gestures reveal a relationship that the composition creates. A way of seeing a scene that makes me proud to have observed and shot. Right with that pole in the middle. In a sublimation of the imperfect so ... perfect.
9. The cleaner (2015)
This is the second image of the selection that reminds me of the 60s and also the third showcase photograph proposed.
10. White Fedora (2016)
What would a street photographer be if he is unable to preview a scene? When I have seen the gentleman in white I decided to photograph him, but I would a different shot from the in your face and… It was not easy but I should try. The man is completely blurred and out of focus: and he is clearly the subject! This is me as photographer: instinctive, not looking for the simple thing, not at all afraid of proposing imperfect photographs. And this photo has been exhibited in Greece. I won with a blurry photograph.
Conclusions: I have a lot of photographs in my archive. It is not easy to choose 10 images. But I think these represent at least part of who I am as a street photographer. Of course any of these photos are available as prints, so if you like to have some pieces of my photography, just let me know.
