December is a great time to take a look back at the ending year. I love to do this in form of some cherrypicking. I usually compile a mix of my favourite 20 songs of the year – and I like to choose my 10 personal favourite Street Photographs. So here they are: My 10 Best Street Photos 2022!
10. Gasping Woman (Düsseldorf, March)
Catching authentic emotional expression is interesting, since we do not see such pictures very often. Most pictures on Social Media nowadays are highly staged, arranged and thought through. Here I was lucky to press the trigger in a ‚Decisive Moment‘ that shows a woman gasping in surprise.
9. Poster and Woman with Sunglasses (Kopenhagen, August)
Matches, coincidences and juxtapositions are one of the most humorous subgenres in Street Photography. In this case I discovered the poster first and I was intrigued by the woman with the sunglasses in the harsh sunlight. The blonde woman resonates with the poster quite nicely, raising questions about influencers, fashion industry and the dissemination of styles and trends in our society. Want to see more of this style? Have a look at my ‚Coincidence‘-Gallery!
8. Portrait of a Girl (Cologne, May)
This is my favourite Portrait of 2022. I saw the girl while strolling through the inner city of Cologne with some Street Photo-Buddies. I immediately realised her beautiful hair and her interesting style and asked for a picture. I especially like hoe her hair frames her face and how the glasses throw a shadow, allowing for a beautiful play of darkness and light. More Portraits can be found at the ‚People are Pretty‘-Gallery!
The picture is also included in ‚Cologne Street Culture‘, a magazine showing more than 100 real street moments from Cologne.
7. Subway Cups / Traffic Signals for Blind People / Construction Site Barriers (Düsseldorf, February)
On a superficial level this is another humorous picture based on the juxtaposition of pairs. But for me there is also a deeper level, since the photograph tells a story about modern society and its things. While the subway cups may be representative of our ever-indulgent consumer and throwaway culture; the traffic signal also tell a story of how we use things to empower and help disabled people.
6. "Find the mistake!" (Düsseldorf, May)
I like the juxtaposition of the pair of ladies on the poster on the left and the real couple one the right. Since there are so many similarities – but also differences – between the pairs you can easily imagine it as one of those „Find the mistake!“-Games from entertainment magazines.
5. Out of the Dark, into the Light (Paris, June)
I love to photograph in harsh sunlight since it allows to play around with light and shadows. In this picture, I like how the legs and the hand, the table and the chairs seem to mysteriously appear out of nowhere. Some more pictures of this style can be seen at my Gallery ‚Candid Candy‘.
4. Silhouette / Flowers (Düsseldorf, September)
Many many street photographers love Silhouettes of people. I wouldn’t say that they are a typical or recurring element in my portfolio, but this photo really appealed to me. I really like how the shadows divide the frame into several sections and how the light section coming from the upper middle is leading the view towards the Silhouette of the Woman. The overall light is great and the flowers on the right add some welcome colours.
3. Walking the Dog (Düsseldorf, September)
I think this one really deserves the Bronze Medal among my Best Street Photos 2022! I love the muddle of legs which seems at the same time chaotic and ordered. Connoisseurs of Street Photography of course also might see the reference to Matt Stuart’s famous pigeon photo 😉 Want to compare? You can find it on Matt Stuart’s Website – it’s quite at the bottom of the page!
2. At the Bus Stop (Paris, June)
The Silver Medal among my Best Street Photos 2022 hoes to ‚At the Bus Stop‘. It is a complex picture with a lot to see: There are reflections and a lot of people. However, the photo is also structured by the line in the middle and the symmetry of people to the left and right. It is also sort of a self portrait, since I can be seen as a reflection in the middle. I hope you don’t see it as a sign of narcissism that I ranked this picture so highly – I just really like the mixture of chaos and order in it.
1. Lightwalkers (Düsseldorf, February)
My Gold Medal among the Best Street Photos 2022 goes to a picture I call ‚Lightwalkers‘ – no, it has nothing to do with Luke Skywalker! 😉 Motive-wise, it may not be the most spectacular picture I have taken in this year, but I simply love how the array of people gives a good structure to the picture; the little effects of lights and shadows and the tension between the ordered positions of the people on the one hand and the muddle suggested by them all going into different directions. Therefore I chose ‚Lightwalkers‘ also as the lead picture both for my Website and for the Series ‚Order‘.