The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street
Robert Doisneau
It goes without saying that cities and towns are built by and for people. Yet so often when we photograph buildings we wait until the scene is clear before pressing the shutter. But what is a city without its people? Including them in your shots brings the city to life, showing how these buildings create the backdrop for daily life.
I enjoy street photography. So when, prompted by Sue’s chosen theme for this week’s Monochrome Madness, I had a trawl through my archives, I wasn’t too surprised by how many ‘Figures in the Built Environment’ I came across. Not all worked as black and white conversions, but many did.
I had already converted several of the shots below but for the majority I edited in that format for the first time, using Nik Silver Efex Pro. The ‘grittiness’ of the urban environment suits black and white photography, and it’s also often the best choice for candid street photography. So Sue’s theme is well-chosen.
As always there may be photos here you will have seen before but possibly not in black and white. And some at least I am confident are new.
My feature photo was taken in the Marais district of Paris
On the Tour Montparnasse, Paris
Outside the Louvre, Paris
In Soho, London
Also in Soho, London
By the Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial, Vienna
In Judenplatz, Vienna
On the streets of Manila, Philippines
In the Bitexco Financial Tower, Saigon / HCMC, Vietnam
Fire escapes in the Meatpackers District, New York City
In the Maskava district of Riga, Latvia
In the Candelaria district of Bogota, Colombia
Outside the Barak Khan Madrassah in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
At the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi
At the Qatar National Museum in Doha
Outside the Natural History Museum in Sofia, Bulgaria
Outside the Grand Theatre, Pyongyang, North Korea
Night scene in Beijing
At a station in Belgium
35 Comments
equinoxio21
Great selection, Sarah. Historians in a thousand years shall wonder what people were looking at in their hands.
(Greek st would be one my faves…)
Sarah Wilkie
Many thanks – and yes, this staring down at your hands thing is very obvious in these shots 🙂
grandmisadventures
you have captured ordinary moments and made them beautiful
Sarah Wilkie
Aw, thank you Meg 😊
wetanddustyroads
I can only imagine that your archive must contain quite a lot of these types of photos 😉. Your last photo of the woman at the station in Belgium is my favourite.
Sarah Wilkie
I do have a lot of candid shots of people, yes, although not all feature enough architecture too to qualify for this specific brief. I had fun searching out some that did, and I’m glad you like that last shot as it was a bit of an afterthought – many thanks Corna 🙂
Leanne Cole
Wonderful Sarah, I love the Soho one, that was a great capture, I mean they all are, but that is my favourite.
Sarah Wilkie
Many thanks Leanne 😊 There are two shots taken in Soho so I’m curious which one you prefer – the Table Dancing one or the Greek Street one with the Michael Jackson poster?
the eternal traveller
I love the three little girls in Tashkent.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 🙂 As I said to Anabel, that is an old shot and was a last minute addition, so I’m glad you like it
Heyjude
All fabulous photos Sarah. You excel in street photography in black and white. You have an excellent eye for a good composition.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Jude 😊 I guess this is a genre I enjoy and therefore get plenty of practice at – especially living in London!
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
The first thing I noticed was how many people were looking at their phones! Not saying that’s bad, I do it myself, just interesting. My favourite photo is the children in front of the Madrassa. My least favourite, and nothing to do with the photography, is the one in Beijing. I don’t like the hold he has on her arm and to me she has a wary look. Or they could just be indulging in lovers’ chit chat! We’ll never know, the expression caught in a split second can be completely misleading.
Sarah Wilkie
Would you believe it, I never really noticed that! But you’re absolutely right. I don’t think that’s just coincidence – I suspect that I find people staring at their phone easy to capture as they’re less likely to notice me! The shot of the children in Tashkent is an old one and was a last minute addition when I suddenly remembered them, so I’m glad you like it 🙂 As for the Beijing shot, if she’s wary of anyone it could be me!
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
The phone theory had occurred to me, makes sense. As does the Beijing one, you could tell a lot of stories from it.
gsilvosatrekpix
Nice photos! I consider it as adding the human touch to architecture.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you – yes, the human touch, that’s it exactly!
EgÃdio
Have you ever had your street photos in an exhibit, Sarah? These are magnificent.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Egidio 😊 No – I’ve had the odd photo in an exhibition but never (so far) any street photos.
Anne Sandler
Awesome photos Sarah! The buildings were terrific and the people helped create the story.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Anne 😊 I do feel that city photos work best when there are people in them, on the whole.
Monkey's Tale
Great examples Sarah. I especially like the Table Dancing Club scene. B&W seems to add to the seediness. Maggie
Sarah Wilkie
Many thanks Maggie 😊 I walk past that Table Dancing Club very often (it’s on the street that links our favourite London cinema with one of our favourite restaurants) but I think it was only that one time I spotted a person in the right place to make a good image. Usually the street is too busy, but this was early on a Sunday morning and while we were still emerging from Covid lockdowns.
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
Like Brian and Margaret said…
Sarah Wilkie
Haha, thanks Ritva 😀
Sue
Excellent choices, Sarah, as I expected them tov be! I especially liked the seperatedness of the two figures in the Rue des Tounelles, the man outside the Table Dancing cub and the lady and the image of the chimp in Sofia
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Sue 😊 You’ve picked out three of my own personal favourites! The woman in Sofia made me smile as soon as I spotted her studying the chimp, and like you I was pleased to see how separate the two figures in my opening shot appear.
Alli Templeton
Another excellent collection, Sarah. Not only do your photos give a sense of scale by including people, you somehow manage to convey the feel of a place, the atmosphere at the time you were there observing life in the various cities. I don’t know how you manage that, but you do it very well indeed! 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Alli 😊 If there’s a trick to this sort of photography I think it comes down to the amount of time you spend looking around you for these opportunities and how quick you are to grab them when you spot one!
Alli Templeton
Well it’s a trick you’ve got down to a tee! 🙂
margaret21
Yes, just what Brian said. I like the ones where you have allowed the humans to be somewhat dwarfed by the Built Environment. Puts us in our place!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Margaret 😊 I like creating that effect because it shows off the scale of some of these structures!
margaret21
To very good effect!
bushboy
Of course you have nailed this challenge Sarah, it was right up your alley. The B&W conversions worked so well
Sarah Wilkie
Many thanks Brian 😊 You’re right, this is very much my ‘thing’! Glad you liked the conversions.