Subjects - People in context

In the previous post, we talked about people as one of the most common subjects in street photography.
In particular, I focused on people as the main or only subject of an image.

But there are many street shots showing people, but they are not the real subject, it's the context, which assumes more value and strength thanks to the people inside it.

We can recognize many such patterns.

People in front of posters

In these case, the posters are what matters in the image. People are only there to give posters a meaning and, strange to say, a context.
Here are some great examples from Instagram fellows.

People in front of beautiful walls

Much like posters, beautiful walls only get meaning when there are people in front of them, even more if they are entering the scene and stay on a side.
This also satisfies the photography rule of providing moving subjects a space in front of them to enhance a sense of direction.

Here are some examples from other Instagrammers.

Contrast between subjects

This is a particular case where both the context and the human subject participate to the meaning of the image. In fact, it's the contrast between the two that create something interesting.

There's plenty of such images in street photography and I find them particularly beautiful because they stimulate your curiosity as to find the meaning of the contrast being shown.

Some great examples from Instagrammers.

Some of my own interpretations.

People looking at panoramas

Panoramas can be wonderful subjects in themselves, but they become much more interesting if you also capture people enraptured and fascinated in front of them.

The human subject also helps anchoring the viewer's eye and then, following the observers gaze, guiding it to the real subject: the scenery.

This is a common subject in street photography, especially when people are sitting on the ground or on a bench.

Anyway, black and white should be used wisely on panoramas, as it can remove much of the fun of them. Better choose scenery that provides the elements I outlined in the introduction.

Here are some great examples from Instagram fellows.

My own captures.

People at exhibitions

Also in this case, the exhibition is the real subject of the image, both because of what's being displayed and because of the concept of an "event" happening, which adds interest and a sense of participation to the image viewer.

Without people in it, the following pictures would look empty and sterile.

In the next post, we will abandon "subject" related photos to explore images that are built around another main element of black and white photography: "perspective".