My urban landscapes are designed to capture ordinary moments that surprise the audience with images of unexpected beauty hidden within a concrete city. Walking in Manhattan is always exciting. You see interesting people everywhere, and there are ample opportunities to photograph them. I want my photographs to inspire the audience to see what I see – that there is an innate, radiating beauty in even the bleakest and loneliest of scenes.
On this particular day, I was on my way to work and decided to get off a few stations before my designated stop to walk the rest of the way. I had bought a camera the day before and wanted to shoot snow-covered Manhattan. We had a few snow days, and I hoped to get some good shots with my new camera. This picture was shot on Fifth Avenue near 47th Street. Most of the top brand shops are in this area. Every storefront displays its luxury products. The grandiosity is apparent even during storefront renovations.
Manhattan is perpetually crowded, especially during the morning rush hour. My intention was to photograph the storefront under renovation without any people in it to accentuate the loneliness of the lingerie model. After a few failed attempts to photograph without any people, a guy in a red hoodie walked into my frame. This lucky coincidence made the lonely figure in red stand out against the black background, harmonizing with the massive red curtain of the lonely lingerie model on the wall. The surrounding snow intensifies the loneliness of the lone wanderer and the model.
What are the TWO most impactful features that make your image a good photograph? Don’t be shy!
One of the reasons this image works is because it emphasizes loneliness, and the scale between the guy in the red hoodie and the model amplifies that feeling. Also, the minimal color scheme of red, white, and black makes the image visually engaging for the audience.
If you could make this photo again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or different?
I am happy with the candid nature of this photo.
Tareq Habib shared this photograph in the FRAMES Facebook Group.
Photographer
Tareq Habib, New York, USA
Equipment and settings
Canon Powershot SD800IS
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Joyce P. Lopez
December 23, 2023 at 20:31
Very nice. I like the difference in scale.
Tareq
December 24, 2023 at 02:31
Thank you Joyce.