Feedback on Image

There are different genres of street photography. Some focus on the person; their actions, reaction, interactions - seeking to tell us something about the person or the place/way they live. EG https://danmarchant.com/portfolio/street-photography/

Others focus on the play of shapes, colours, light and shadow in an environment (often using human figures to echo this or give a feeling of scale) - EG https://www.instagram.com/candysarah/.

Unfortunately, for me, your image doesn't really succeed in any of the above. The man isn't doing anything interesting. All I know is that he may be south asian/arabic/african. Unfortunately the image has little in the way of detail that can provide any context beyond that. The image could have been taken literally anywhere. The light is OK but not great, there is little in the way of interesting shapes or colours or detail.

On the plus side it has a nice, almost monochromatic palette of soft browns that are both organic and relaxing, with just the occasional blue accent colour. Unfortunately after that initial impression there is nothing of any real interest to hold my attention.

I showed this to my wife and she said he looks like he's part of a door on a luxury car. I have to agree. The subject softens the background smoothly with his overcoat, a very pleasing shot.

Hi Aaaron, thanks for posting.

Hmmmm, a couple master photographer street photographers immediately came to mind when I saw your post. Especially the great Saul Leiter because Leiter captured so many people with a similar forlorn look that this person on the escalator has. Leiter also has a unique way with colour street photography as you do.

About the man on the escalator. Your photo makes me wonder what he's thinking, what kind of day he's just had, or what kind of day he's beginning to have.

It's this calm and powerful isolation that you've composed (assuming not overedited like how Steve McCurry was caught removing subjects) that really attracts me. Having clean minimalistic compositions in street photography is hard work and a true testament of patience and passion to the art. So, congrats.

As far as succeeding or not succeeding in giving all of us an interesting narrative or whether your image shows us shapes and scale, who am I to judge.

But suffice it to say, I think you've presented beauty in the banal.

The only thing about your image that I don't find appealing to the true spirit of street photography is the watermark. But, that's another heated debate for another time. ;-)